NBA Draft Rumors: 76ers’ coach Brett Brown ‘loves’ Dante Exum

With the second-worst record in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers are hoping to land one of the top two picks, but they could fall all the way to fifth if things don’t go their way. If that happens, the two best fits for them, Kansas Jayhawks’ forward Andrew Wiggins and Duke Blue Devils’ forward Jabari Parker would almost certainly be off of the board.

Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News broke down the future of every 76ers’ player and when he got to rookie Michael Carter-Williams, he noted that 76ers’ coach Brett Brown is enamored with Exum.

"It seems to be a no-brainer that the soon-to-be-announced NBA rookie of the year will be back. But this time last year, I wrote about another young point guard who would be a key building block of the future in Jrue Holiday. He was gone a couple of months later. What if the Sixers fall to third or fourth in the draft and they decide the best available player is point guard Dante Exum? He hails from Australia (where Brett Brown coached for many years), and his dad was coached by Brown. Few know much about the kid, but Brown does. And he loves the kid. Just putting it out there."

If the 76ers did take Exum, it could create a problem. Exum reportedly is interested in playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic and wants to remain a point guard rather than playing off of the ball, which may be tough to do if he’s paired with Carter-Williams.