NBA Draft Lottery 2016: Winners and Losers

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown (right) poses with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum after the 76ers receive the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 12, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) looks on from the court in the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies during the SEC conference tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Ben Simmons

When there is a team as bad as the Philadelphia 76ers atop the NBA Draft, that means that the best player in the country is going to go have to play for them and hope to be their franchise’s savior.

However, it’s very rare when a player has to go to a team that just won only 10 games the year before. Regardless of drafting Simmons, if that is indeed their pick, the 76ers are going to be bad next year and will likely be bad for a few more years as their talent continues to grow in this league.

If there’s any good news for Simmons here, it’s that there are plenty of other talented young players on the roster and they should all be improved, which might up their chances of becoming competitive a lot sooner than maybe some expect.

At the end of the day, one of these top players in one of these drafts was always going to end up with the 76ers. It was inevitable that they would land a top pick as long as they were terrible and they finally got it.

Here’s hoping that Simmons or someone else can be the piece that puts them over the top. If not, it could be a long time until the 76ers are good again.

Next: Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

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