The Philadelphia 76ers were awarded the third pick in the NBA Draft lottery a few hours ago. The team had just the fifth-best odds at the number one pick and were in danger of losing the pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it dropped below pick number six.
The 76ers plan on keeping the pick
According to the 76ers’ President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, Philadelphia plans on keeping the pick. This is huge for the 76ers organization, which finished the season with a 24-58 record. The Philadelphia 76ers could use a younger player to rejuvenate the franchise after missing the playoffs by a wide margin.
Both Philly and Dallas moved up the board drastically tonight. The Washington Wizards went down four spots from the second-best odds at number one to number six. That allowed the 76ers, Spurs, and Mavericks to jump into the final four. It was an unprecedented rise for the Mavericks, as they rose ten spots from 11 to one.
This is exactly what the Philadelphia 76ers needed
The uncertainty of Joel Embiid having surgery this offseason and a down year left Philadelphia fans wondering what was next for the franchise. At least right now, there’s a lot more hope for the franchise than there was 24 hours ago. A top-three pick in the draft could be enough to turn an entire franchise around.
The 76ers are trying to retool to get back to when it seemed like they were in the playoffs every single season. Jared McCain represented the team at the draft lottery, and his reaction was quite comical. When he discovered that the team moved up into the top four, he was seen shaking his head up and down and smiling. That’s a player who wants to see his team succeed.
Last Thoughts
While Philadelphia fans won’t be celebrating as much as Dallas Mavericks fans will tonight, moving up to number three when they had the fifth-best odds is a massive win. They’ve secured themselves a great draft pick.
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