2021 NBA Mock Draft: Sixers Grab a Talented Shooter at Pick 28

Whether the Philadelphia 76ers will make an actual selection at pick No. 28 in the 2021 NBA Draft or not is currently unclear. As President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey prepares to run the show, the known dealmaker made it clear that anything is on the table, whether it's trading up, back, or out of the first round entirely. 

If the Sixers do hold onto the 28th pick in the first round, though, they have tons of options. While they might not get an immediate role player that late in the draft, they could end up winning the gamble that is selecting late in the first round and come up with a solid young talent that can crack Doc Rivers' deep rotation right away.

In a recent 2021 NBA mock draft put together by NBC Sports Bay Area's James Ham, the Sixers select an intriguing prospect with their first-round pick in the University of Virginia's Trey Murphy III.

The Case for Trey Murphy III

"Murphy is a work in progress on the defensive end, but he’s long, athletic and knocked down 43.3 percent from 3-point range this season. He’s climbing up draft boards and he might make it higher than this before it’s all said and done.

Philly needs to surround Embiid with shooters and Murphy’s ability to play both the two and the three is intriguing. If they can get him to improve on the defensive end, they could have a late first round steal."

Last season, it was evident the Sixers needed better shooting -- especially from beyond the arc. During his Junior season with the Virginia Cavaliers, Murphy knocked down 43-percent of his threes on 4.8 attempts per game.

When Philly's starting forwards Danny Green and Tobias Harris left the court during the regular season and this past postseason, the Sixers saw a steep drop-off in the offense. Matisse Thybulle, who replaced Green, was excellent on the defensive end but could only hit on 30-percent of his threes.

While Furkan Korkmaz was a lot better in the shooting department than Thybulle was, he regressed from being a 40-percent shooter two seasons ago to draining just 37-percent of his threes on the same amount of attempts in 2020-2021.

Then, there's Mike Scott. Although he was one of the few longtime veterans coming off of Philly's bench, Scott struggled to find any rhythm in 2020-2021. In 51 games, he hit on just 34-percent of his threes. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he was unplayable. 

[MUST READ: Trey Murphy III NBA Draft Profile]

While drafting a guy like Murphy doesn't immediately solve all of the Sixers' problems, adding him could be a nice step in the right direction for Philly's future. And if he does turn out to be a late first-round steal, as Ham suggests, then the Sixers would have themselves two stellar first-round picks throughout the first two years of the Daryl Morey era. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.