NBA Draft: 5 reasons 76ers should draft Brandon Ingram No. 1

5. How would Ben Simmons fit with the 76ers?

To fully make the most of everything Ben Simmons has to offer and to create the mismatches available, you need to be able to freely utilize him between both forward spots. Of course, he won’t constantly be switching between the two. But in an NBA age where versatility is so vital and varying rotations and small-ball lineups can be used to such great effect, having the flexibility to use Simmons in different ways is the best option.

For the 76ers, though, it may not be quite that simple and that’s only the start of the problem.

Just look at the basis of their frontcourt:

Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid (whenever he’s actually healthy) — three players who should have major roles.

The 76ers have their big men. What they need is spacing. With Noel, Okafor and Embiid, they have a core of bigs who can’t be dangerous mid-range threats, let alone take the ball to three-point range. So, if you add someone like Simmons into the mix, a player who made one three in his college career and possesses no kind of consistent jumper or range, the paint could get overcrowded in an instant.

Defenses could collapse on the interior heavy game, the spacing would be dreadful in comparison to pretty much everyone, and defenders would find it far too easy having only two shooters to guard in lineups when Simmons is at small forward.

It’s not that Simmons wouldn’t be a growing star with the 76ers and that they couldn’t use his special talents to ascend past their 2015-16 total of 10 wins. And in time, he can surely develop that jump shot. It’s just that with the current makeup of their roster if they don’t adjust the frontcourt and make any trades, he may not be fully unleashed in as many ways as possible and clog the paint unnecessarily.

With that in mind, we can make a seamless transition as to why Ingram is the right positional choice to change all of that.

Next: 4. The 76ers can draft the ideal modern wing