2018 NBA Mock Draft: What if Memphis wins the lottery?

In many ways, the balance that T.J. McConnell provided in the Sixers’ starting lineup during the last two games of their second-round series against Boston is what turned the tide of that series and nearly allowed a historical comeback. Philadelphia could find another player like McConnell with their own pick this June.

After a team option this summer, McConnell will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019. If he continues to develop as an on-ball defender and play-maker, he will be in for a sizable payday. The Sixers, already restricted by the expensive extensions coming for Ben Simmons and Dario Saric, can’t reasonably expect to pay a mid-tier player like McConnell what he deserves. Fortunately, a potential replacement already exists on the roster in the form of Markelle Fultz, who can defend smaller players to free Simmons from the point of attack and act as a backup playmaker. Their fit only extends that far though, as both are poor shooters with paint-focused games that could overlap.

As a backup plan, it would be safer of the Sixers to develop an extra ball-handler or two, so that if McConnell leaves, they still maintain the lineup flexibility that allowed them to compete with Boston in Games 4 and 5.

Evans brings exactly what McConnell does defensively, with a little better physical profile that raises his ceiling on that end. He projects to be a solid shooter, after making 38 percent of the nearly 4.5 triples he took each night at Cincinnati. And he comes from an egalitarian, defense-first system like the one Brett Brown has built in Philadelphia. It makes a lot of sense.