NBA mock draft: 5 Cooper Flagg backup plans 76ers should scout in case lottery odds falter

The Philadelphia 76ers have lost four straight as Joel Embiid nurses a foot injury, which is different from the knee ailment that has already held him out of more than half the season to date.

It's getting pretty dire in South Philly. The Sixers are nine games below .500 and a full two games back of the 10th-place Chicago Bulls, who currently occupy the final Play-In spot. It's hard to imagine the Sixers committing to a full-blown tank job with three max contract All-Stars on the roster, but if Embiid keeps missing games and Paul George never quite finds his groove, it could spiral quickly.

The 2025 NBA Draft is loaded with appealing prospects, but Philadelphia needs to land in the top six, lest their first-round pick go to OKC as part of the Al Horford trade. So, if the 76ers do plan to tank, there can't be any half-measures. The Sixers need to fully bottom out — and get lucky with the ping-pong balls — in order to retain their first-round pick. It's a delicate needle to thread.

Daryl Morey is among our finest basketball minds when it comes to scouting the draft. Philadelphia continues to strike gold at all stages of the draft, whether it be mid-first round picks like Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey, or undrafted free agents like Ricky Council and Justin Edwards.

Assuming Philadelphia does not catapult up to No. 1 to claim Cooper Flagg, here are a few lottery prospects worth Morey's special attention.

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5. Liam McNeeley, UConn

If the 76ers are still set on building around Joel Embiid next season, UConn's Liam McNeeley is an obvious fit. Embiid has always been at his best with high-volume snipers in his orbit. McNeeley, at 19, is one of the best shooters in the draft. He's averaging 4.7 attempts per game from long range, converting on 37.9 percent of them.

At 6-foot-7 with prototypical physical attributes on the wing, McNeeley is a simple plug-and-play option for most wannabe contenders. He doesn't require much airspace to render a positive impact. He moves effortlessly without the ball, thrives in two-man actions on the perimeter, and finishes plays in a variety of ways. Whether he's spotting up, flying around a screen, or attacking closeouts with a forceful drive, McNeeley is great about letting the offense come to him.

The Embiid-McNeeley DHOs would pay immediate dividends for Philadelphia's offense. In theory, you're looking for a long-term fifth starter to run alongside Embiid, Maxey, George, and McCain. McNeeley can handle physical wing assignments on defense and infuse the starting lineup with another dynamic off-ball scoring threat. The basic '3-and-D' label doesn't really do McNeeley justice.

4. Jase Richardson, Michigan State

Many view Jase Richardson as a 2026 prospect, but the Michigan State freshman shouldn't need to wait so long if he can sustain his current production. The numbers don't pop, as Richardson has been relegated to a streamlined bench role, but the impact is astounding. Few freshmen are doing more on a per-touch, per-minute basis. Richardson is a winning player through and through.

The 19-year-old has been absurdly efficient, averaging 9.6 points on .591/.438/.829 splits. Richardson is not asked to generate his own offense much, but he's a hyper-polished connector, sharply executing in the flow of the offense. He keeps turnovers to a minimum and seems to know exactly when and where to pressure a defense. Equally comfortable bombing spot-up 3s, attacking errant closeouts, or cutting into open space, Richardson has a preternatural feel for the game. His father, of course, is former NBA star Jason Richardson. Perhaps it's genetic.

Philadelphia does not have a pressing need for another 6-foot-3 guard, but Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson are cooked. The backup point guard minutes have been rough since McCain's injury. Richardson is a malleable player who can scale up into a more ball-dominant role if asked to. He makes a lot of sense as a bench spark plug with room to grow in Nick Nurse's system.

3. Ace Bailey, Rutgers

Ace Bailey has captured the nation with a skill set that is equal parts mesmerizing and confounding. It's extremely hard to find 6-foot-10 shooters of Bailey's caliber. He is comfortable firing on the move and from all sorts of awkward angles. While the 19-year-old struggles to create separation with his handle, it often doesn't matter. He can just shoot over the top.

That special blend of size, athleticism, and shooting touch is going to keep Bailey pegged high on draft boards. His lack of self-creation polish — and his general inability to set up teammates right now — are understandably worrisome for a lot of lottery teams, but Philadelphia is in a unique position. The Sixers don't need a high-level creator to build their offense around. They need a dynamic spacer who can score off of Embiid's gravity.

Bailey is more than capable of drilling spot-up 3s, feasting on backdoor cuts, and keeping his defender occupied off-ball. He needs to get sharper as a processor, but his shot-making would make for a scary ancillary weapon in Philly. The defense is solid, too, and the Sixers need more length on the perimeter. Few current lottery teams are better suited to Bailey's unique skill set, and vice versa.

2. Khaman Maluach, Duke

This would cause quite a stir, but Khaman Maluach is a strong upside bet for the ailing Sixers. At a certain point, we must reckon with a simple fact: if Joel Embiid and Paul George aren't healthy enough to contend now, it probably won't get better with time. Both are on the wrong side of 30, and there's no reason to believe Embiid will ever operate with a completely clean bill of health ever again.

If the Sixers want to plant the seeds for the future, Maluach has one of the highest ceilings in the draft. He's every bit of 7-foot-2 and 250 pounds, finishing a comical 79.7 percent of his shot attempts at Duke. If you're watching the Blue Devils to daydream about Cooper Flagg, it's hard to miss Maluach galloping up and down the court. He moves with impressive fluidity for his size, which manifests as soft touch around the rim — and even out toward the 3-point line. He dunks everything, defends the paint effectively, and has more skill than your average 18-year-old with superhuman athletic traits.

There are obvious parallels between Maluach and Embiid, two late-blooming centers who flashed impressive skill at the college level despite their glaring lack of polish. Maluach won't benefit from erroneous Embiid comps, but there's a world in which Embiid is the perfect mentor to bring Maluach along at the next level. There's also a world in which he gets irrationally upset at Philadelphia for drafting his replacement and demands a trade. How fun!

1. Dylan Harper, Rutgers

Cooper Flagg is the main attraction in the 2025 draft, but the smart front offices are keeping tabs on Dylan Harper just as thoroughly. The Rutgers point guard feels like the obvious consolation prize at this point. Harper has competition, but if he isn't the second pick, it will reek of malpractice. He has all the hallmarks of a future All-Star at basketball's most important position.

What makes Harper special is how dynamic and scalable his skill set is. Yes, he is a "point guard," but he's also 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds. Harper has no trouble guarding up a few positions and toggling between matchups on defense. On offense, he's an effective spot-up shooter and attentive off-ball mover, always bolting into open space and making himself available on backdoor cuts. Harper is going to pull the strings on offense, to be clear, but he can share the floor with another ball-handler and still find ways to impact winning.

Harper's strength, ball-handling creativity, and finishing touch is a deadly combination. He's the best slasher in the draft, putting constant pressure on the rim and generating crisp looks for his teammates when the defense invariably collapses. He poise running pick-and-rolls is beyond his years, while Harper's ability to draw fouls and finish through contact is a telltale sign of future stardom. If the 76ers land at No. 2 on draft night, Harper is a franchise-altering talent.