NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 17: Portland uses three first round picks

Draft lottery night will be a big evening in Philadelphia as the 76ers have an opportunity to land a pair of top five picks if the Los Angeles Lakers fall out of the top three. Here, though, Philadelphia is left with just one first round selection and the franchise uses it to grab a high upside point guard.

North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith Jr. is certainly the most athletically gifted point guard in the class. He has great vertical explosion and is capable of delivering highlight reel dunks on a nightly basis. That athleticism is what makes him so promising as he has great potential to be a really good one-on-one scorer at the next level. It’s not hard to imagine Smith running pick-and-roll with Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid and finding success.

The downside with Smith to Philadelphia comes with the fit. Head coach Brett Brown has suggested that Simmons will spend a decent bit of time running the show on offense, which takes away from some of Smith’s most valuable attributes and could limit his value. That said, the Wolfpack freshman has shot it well this season (37.2 percent on 145 3-point attempts), so he wouldn’t be a total minus off the ball for some percentage of possessions. Despite the potentially awkward fit, Smith is the best player on the board and still fills a need for the Sixers.

Learn more about Dennis Smith Jr. at The Step Back.