All the excitement about the Sixers prospects for the NBA Draft seemingly drifted away by morning after they picked one player, traded for another and dealt away their two remaining picks.
Here is what the Sixers did: They stuck at 15th overall to pick St. John’s forward Moe Harkless, they then dealt the 45th pick (C Justin Hamilton) to Miami for C Arnett Moultrie (27th overall) and a future first rounder, and the Sixers wrapped up the evening by dealing the 54th pick (SF Tornike Shengelia to the Nets for cash.
Basically the Sixers took four picks (including the future first-rounder) to get two players with potential upside.
Let’s talk about Harkless. The 19-year-old was projected to go in the middle of the first round so it’s not like the Sixers reached for him but the move was a head-scratcher since Harkless is basically another version of current 76ers -- Andre Iguodala, Thad Young and Evan Turner.
The pick confused fans and analysts alike.
Per CSNPhilly.com’s John Gonzalez:
Confused? You’re not alone.
Let’s go step by step here. Maybe it will help us make some sense out of what happened with Thursday evening’s NBA draft. Perhaps it will help us understand why the Sixers did what they did. Because, at the moment, it’s difficult to fathom. The organization had a lot of questions heading into the off-season – and now it has another.
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
The reason for picking Harkless appears to be upside and the possibility that either Turner or Iggy could be shipped out of town.
Per Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Ford:
Maurice Harkless, who played just one season at St. John's, is a little taller than Iguodala, but otherwise he is an athletic small forward who can get to the rim, play some defense and does not possess a reliable jump shot.
Harkless is only 19 years old and the Sixers sold the pick as a developmental choice, with lame duck team president Rod Thorn emphasizing that his "growth plates are open" and the team expects Harkless to grow into a power forward someday.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, they need presence in the lane right now. Also unfortunately for the Sixers, they desperately need outside shooting. As everyone in the organization has emphasized over and over since their postseason run ended in the second round, the team has to get better in those two areas. Selecting Harkless helps neither. So, it's kind of a head-scratcher.
OK so maybe he will grow as well but banking on a guy having a growth spurt doesn’t seem like a smart decision. Also, the Sixers needed a shooter yet they spent their top pick on a guy who shot only 20 percent from three-point range in his one year of college.
Whatever the reason for grabbing Harkless, the reason the Sixers picked Moultrie is that he is tall, can rebound (he averaged 10.5 rebounds per game as a junior at Mississippi State) and can shoot (nearly 55 percent from the floor and 78 percent from the stripe as a junior).
The 21-year-old is 6-foot-11 and should help the Sixers inside where their deficiency to rebound possibly cost them in their series against the Celtics. He also was projected to go in the middle of the first round rather than the end -- even going to Sixers at 15 on CBSSportsline’s board. So it would seem that the Sixers got a steal using a second rounder and potential future first-round pick to get Moultrie. But if that future pick winds up being in the lottery they could regret this move.
Moultrie’s arrival could mean the Sixers will let Spencer Hawes walk.
What do you think of the Sixers Draft are you happy with the results?
