With the lottery to take place next week, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and New Orleans will all have their lucky charms out as its clear there are two players that stand above the rest in terms of talent.
The latest mock from Yahoo has the 76ers with the top pick and the article is very insightful in terms of what this squad needs and what pieces they already have in place.
Jonathan Givony has determined that the front office should select Duke product Brandon Ingram, a surprise to most experts who believe Ben Simmons is the top prospect in the latest player rankings. Ingram is more offensively skilled and would provide a prefect complement to the big men this franchise already has in place.
The youngster is also younger, which really doesn’t mean much, but it appears his overall upside could make him the first overall pick in June.
Simmons is a bit of an enigma as the 19-year-old has a 6’10” frame, but a guard mentality with the way he moves the ball and makes everyone around him play at a higher level.
The LA Lakers would love to rebuild the franchise with the LSU star, especially since this squad hasn’t had a star small forward in two decades. His lack of scoring is his only negative, but his charisma would help the purple and gold bring in some big name free agents and possibly have this team back in the playoffs in the near future.
Its been reported that several trades could also take place between now and the end of the NBA Draft, which is nothing new with salary cap issues. Boston could be the biggest mover with plenty of resources at their disposal, but for the 76ers and Lakers, this summer is important, especially if they want to become competive after a few years of poor basketball.
