Philadelphia 76ers
Pick 15 Maurice Harkless
Jack Winter-Saving the Skyhook
Harkless has the potential to develop into an awesome wing defender and offensive finisher, two traits every team in the NBA needs. Every team, that is, except the Philadelphia 76ers. Harkless doesn’t fit on a team that hangs its hat on defense and needs all the shooting he can get. Hopefully they have another move in mind, or the redundancy presented to their roster by this pick makes absolutely no sense, especially given Harkless’ steep learning curve.
Grade: D
Quixem Ramirez- Air Alamo
It’s not that they reached for Harkless. It’s that Philadelphia completely disregarded their prevalent need — interior size. Adding Zeller here would have bolstered their size and help anchor the Sixers’ third-ranked defense. Yeah. I don’t know what else to say.
Grade: C
Bryan Wendland-Roberto Gato
“Potential” is the word thrown around when it comes to Harkless, but he’s good enough to be considered NBA-ready right now. He needs to get better in several areas, but he’s big enough and strong enough to go toe-to-toe with pros right now. Lou Williams might not be back in Philly, and Andre Iguodala won’t be back. Harkless was a good offensive player at St. Johns, so this pick makes a ton of sense.
Grade: A
Bryan Rosa – A Royal Pain
In need of a three, the Sixers get a semi-local product who has, at times, a monster inside game. The guy has a motor and fluid near basket game that will thrive under Doug Collins’ old school style. A great wingspan to go along with his ability to attack the rim gives the Sixers a very solid pick at 15. A bit non-traditional of a small forward (poor shooter), he’ll need to improve some parts of his game to become a solid NBA role player, but, the ability and most importantly, desire, is all there.
Grade: B+
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