76ers Select Defensive Standout in 2024 NBA Mock Draft
Unlike last year, the Philadelphia 76ers are heading into the next NBA Draft with a first-rounder at their disposal. With the 2024 trade deadline in the rearview, the Sixers went through four different deals without parting ways with their top pick.
Will they use the selection come summertime? That’s something to always wonder about as long as the Sixers remain on their path to championship contention. While the team’s front office, run by Daryl Morey, has proven to take gambles in the first round by selecting prospects out of the pool, the Sixers’ last two drafts led to them going selection-less.
In 2022, the Sixers possessed the 23rd overall pick. While they took David Roddy out of Colorado State, the Sixers flipped his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies, along with Danny Green, in the trade that netted Philly De’Anthony Melton.
Last year, Philadelphia lost its first-rounder to the Brooklyn Nets by way of the James Harden-Ben Simmons blockbuster, which took place in 2022.
Right now, the expectation is that the Sixers would make a selection outside of the lottery. In a recent mock draft put together by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Sixers spend their 22nd overall pick on a 22-year-old guard out of Providence, Devin Carter.
Why the Pick?
Regarding Carter as “one of the best players in college basketball” this year, Vecenie stated the obvious about the six-foot-three-inch guard: he’s a defensive standout.
As a one-time semifinalist for National Defensive Player of the Year, Carter’s success on the defensive end against opposing backcourts hasn’t gone unnoticed at the NCAA level.
Considering Nick Nurse’s system and philosophy along with the Sixers’ draft history, a defensive-minded guard is right up their alley.
With their last first-round pick, which took place in 2021, the Sixers selected Jaden Springer out of Tennessee. While he was a raw prospect with a lot of question marks on the offensive end, Springer's build and defensive ability made him an intriguing young prospect.
Unfortunately, Springer’s timeline didn’t match the Sixers, who have been gunning for a title since before Daryl Morey took over the front office in 2020.
At this year’s trade deadline, the Sixers dealt Springer away to the Boston Celtics in exchange for a second-round pick. Perhaps a prospect like Carter could come in and attempt to serve a similar purpose as Springer but with a higher upside on the offensive end.
“Long a questionable shooter, Carter has hit 40.5 percent of his nearly seven 3-point attempts per game,” Vecenie wrote, noting the offensive improvements by the Providence guard. “Shooting something of a moon ball that arcs high in the air before falling, he’s hitting shots at volume at a level that is hard to ignore on his way to 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. The idea here is a 3-and-D guard who can do a little bit more than that.”
The Sixers could very well avoid making a pick for themselves this summer, as a first-rounder might help them land a win-now type of player as they look to beef up the roster surrounding the two-star-duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. If they keep the selection, though, Carter should be a name to keep an eye on.
