Fansided

NBA Draft 2016: Grades for every team

By Cody Williams

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23: Ben Simmons walks on stage after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 23: Ben Simmons walks on stage after being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia 76ers

Picks: No. 1 Ben Simmons, No. 24 Timothe Luwawu, No. 26 Furkan Korkmaz

Selecting Ben Simmons first-overall if you were the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night was the easiest decision that you’d ever have to make. He was far and away the best prospect in this draft and the Sixers have been so devoid of that level of potentially transcendent talent that passing on him would’ve been a grave error. So that they didn’t mess that up started off the night well for Philly.

However, it was the rest of their draft that I actually almost loved more than that fact. For one, I loved how wisely aggressive they were in trying to trade into the lottery and essentially trying to get Kris Dunn. Despite the fact that they were willing to give up a solid package to try and get Dunn, they didn’t overreact in the moment and give too much to do so. They stuck to their principles and ultimately held on to Nos. 24 and 26. And in doing so, they picked up two highly intriguing international prospects at positions of need.

Luwawu on the wing is going to be fun to watch if he comes over and plays with Ben Simmons. The French youngster is a mega-athlete with skills to boot and he was definitely a steal at No. 24. Even bigger of a heist, though, was Korkmaz as another wing with tremendous potential. He has awesome length and could really develop into something special. That the Sixers were able to get two potential lottery-type talents in addition to Simmons makes their 2016 NBA Draft a resounding success.

Final Grade: A+

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