As was the case last year, the Sixers will enter this season’s NBA draft with five selections. We have them using three and targeting shooters in this Sixers-only mock draft.
You can find Paul Hudrick’s first Sixers-only mock draft here.
22. (via Oklahoma City) — Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford
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After his freshman season at Stanford, the 6-foot-2, 160-pound Terry declared for the draft on April 6.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie reports that most NBA evaluators have liked what they’ve seen from Terry and view him favorably to another Pac-12 freshman guard, Arizona’s Nico Mannion.
“Most I’ve spoken with have come away more impressed with Terry after they’ve dug into his tape following his declaration,” Vecenie writes. “Terry is an elite shooter and is similarly intelligent as a perimeter-based ball mover. They’ve also been a bit more impressed with Terry’s shake, ability to get by defenders and touch as a finisher.”
Terry is indeed an exceptional shooter. He hit 40.9 percent of his threes on 4.9 attempts per game and 89.1 percent of his free throws. His release is quick and low-effort, and he’s comfortable both off the dribble and off the catch. He possesses a few other impressive qualities for a shooter as well, namely a strong sense for how and when to cut and relocate and an effective pump fake.
NBA
Size is the main concern with Terry. Though he’s skilled enough and smart enough to work around it, he’ll likely enter the NBA as one of the league’s most diminutive players. That seeps into several areas of his game, and questions about whether he’ll be able to handle his assignments defensively and cope with the off-ball bumping and jostling he should face are valid.
On a positive note, Terry seems to have the ability to spring into action, accelerating from an inert position to leap into passing lanes, sprint into closeouts and drive by defenders. While he’s clearly a one-position NBA defender, he’s a multi-dimensional offensive player who can distribute the ball and run a pick-and-roll.
The Sixers would be equipped to take on his defensive limitations and could certainly use a shifty player with a pretty jumper.
34. (via Atlanta) — Desmond Bane, SG, TCU
Let’s start with Bane’s three-point shooting numbers over the past three seasons at TCU, because they’re eye-catching: He made 44.2 percent of his threes on 4.9 attempts per game. Bane is skilled at curling around screens and flaring off them, and he has very deep range, too.
The 21-year-old averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals as a senior. He’s a sharp contrast to Terry physically at a muscular 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, which is one reason he looks poised to contribute immediately in the NBA.
There’s a lot that’s appealing about Bane’s game besides his shooting. He’s comfortable in the pick-and-roll, uses his body well when he attacks downhill and should have the ability to guard point guards through small forwards — perhaps some power forwards as well.
Bane told Liberty Ballers’ Tom West he likes to watch Danny Green, Eric Gordon and Malcolm Brogdon, which gives you an idea of the sort of NBA player he aims to be.
“I take a little bit from each one of them,” he told West. “Danny, you know, he guards a lot, multiple [positions], really good shooter. Eric Gordon’s a little more ball in the hand, score in transition, score it off the bounce a little bit. And then Brogdon is just really smart, never gets sped up, always makes the right plays.”
He has a “negative wingspan” (less than his height) and is not a mind-boggling athlete. That, along with the fact that he spent four seasons in college, could dissuade some NBA teams who prefer raw tools. However, we know general manager Elton Brand wanted “mature” players last year, and Bane would appear to check that box rather emphatically.
36. (via New York) — Cassius Stanley, SG, Duke
Stanley is a sensational leaper and athlete. Our Casey Feeney notes he recorded a better vertical jump than pogo stick/pickup truck hybrid Zion Williamson (see draft profile).
He has a much lighter build than Williamson at 6-foot-6, 193 pounds. Stanley shot 36 percent from three-point range in his one year with Duke, and his shooting stroke looks solid when he’s balanced and has time and space. At the next level, the hope for Stanley would be that he can establish himself as a dependable shooter and translate potential to production in other areas.
Stanley showed promise defensively but made mistakes at times with inefficient footwork and taking poor angles.
In this range of the draft, Stanley would make sense for the Sixers as a developmental-focused pick. Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz are two recent success stories who spent time in the G League.
TRADE — Picks 49 and 59 for Wizards’ 2021 2nd-rounder
This isn’t an exciting deal, but it’s probably a realistic one. The Sixers came away with only two players last year, with Brand rationalizing that the team valued the young talent it already had and didn’t think a heap of draft picks could have helped an aspiring contender.
Especially given the emergence of Milton, Korkmaz and Matisse Thybulle, we figure the same logic should apply.
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