2018 NBA Mock Draft: Promises, promises

Credit to the hosts of High Noon on ESPN, Pablo Torre and Bomani Jones, for bringing a key point about DiVincenzo to my attention. The dude is the biggest geek — what better place to unleash that silliness than the city in which he went to college?

During championship celebrations at Villanova, DiVincenzo’s hilarious dancing skills were on full display, and his general silliness would be a perfect match next to Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. The Sixers have built an atmosphere like that of a college team, and adding DiVincenzo, the most successful product of that system imaginable, would be a boost to their culture.

DiVincenzo credits his freshman season, in which he played very little and says he focused too much on defense, for helping him become the player he is today, a first-round prospect who could make a very good team even better. Speaking after Villanova’s victory over Michigan in March, the junior said coach Jay Wright had a huge helping hand in crafting him into the two-way player he can be in the NBA.

He’s the type of player whose shot creation and size will help him translate in most any environment, but surely playing in Philadelphia, where he went to school, just 33 miles from his hometown, would be awesome.

The NBA needs more good, goofy dudes playing near home and winning. DiVincenzo could do all three for the Sixers.