Before the highly anticipated draft order is revealed next Tuesday at the lottery, NBA teams will convene this week for the combine in Chicago to get an up-close look at prospects who could fill their rosters next season.
Front office executives, coaches, agents and even some current players will be on hand as NBA hopefuls go through drills, measurement assessments and sit-down interviews. The draft candidates will speak to the media on Thursday and Friday.
Here are some Sixers storylines for the 2016 NBA Draft Combine, which kicks off Wednesday:
Big names missing ...
It is not uncommon for projected top picks to skip the combine. Last year, Karl-Anthony Towns (first overall) and Jahlil Okafor (third) opted not to attend. This year, LSU standout Ben Simmons has made the same decision (see full list of participants here).
Dragan Bender, the top international prospect this year, also will not be in Chicago. Bender still is finishing his season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
... But Ingram will be there
For months, Simmons was considered to be the future No. 1 pick. But Brandon Ingram is right there in the running now, too, following his standout performance at Duke. It will be interesting to see if any of Ingram's in-person interactions with NBA execs at the combine play into the draft order of the first and second overall picks.
So many potential future Sixers
The Sixers are stacked with potential first-round draft picks. They have better than a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the draft and cannot drop below fourth. They also could acquire the Lakers' pick if it falls out of the top three. In addition, they hold the 24th and 26th picks later in the round.
Philadelphia 76ers
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While there are top prospects who will not be there (see above), this is a chance for the Sixers to sit down and meet with others who they may not be as familiar with yet. Will there be someone who makes a strong impression during the interview process and the Sixers decide to take him at No. 24 based on their conversations? Will a player separate himself from others during drills and the Sixers choose to select him at No. 26? With a wide-open roster and a handful of picks, there are opportunities for players to impress.
Colangelo's first combine with Sixers
President of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo and the Sixers' staff will be among those in attendance. Colangelo was hired with weeks to go in the regular season and this is his first major event with the organization. Last week, the Sixers made two front-office additions, including Marc Eversley as vice president of player personnel. Eversley has a long résumé of scouting and talent evaluation. The Sixers will be looking at draft prospects with a different set of eyes this time around.
