NBA Draft Lottery 2016: Why 76ers don’t deserve to win No. 1 pick
By John Buhler
5. Too much pressure for a 20-year-old to handle.
It does not matter how good of a player either Simmons or Ingram can become, neither player will walk into a hospitable situation if taken No. 1 overall by the 76ers. The amount of pressure/scrutiny they will feel from the Greater Philadelphia area is too much for a 20-year-old kid to handle.
Just making it to the NBA is a near impossible feat, but having to be the face of a laughing-stock NBA franchise before being able to legally consume alcohol in the United States is just a recipe for disaster. No. 3 overall pick last draft in Duke’s Jahlil Okafor didn’t exactly conduct himself in the best manner possible in his first year with the 76ers.
What also adds to the pressure of turning around a dumpster fire of a basketball team is that Philadelphia is one of the craziest hoops cities in the country. From college ball to the 76ers, Philadelphia is easily a top five market in the NBA when it comes to the hardwood.
In short, neither Simmons or Ingram are going to be able to grow in anonymity playing for some small market team in the Western Conference. They will be thrown haphazardly into the fire in whatever Philadelphia has been cooking the last few years. Unless either Simmons or Ingram are the next LeBron James (they’re not), the pressure that will solely be put on them in Philadelphia is tragically unfair.
Next: 4. A burdensome culture of losing in Philadelphia.