2020 NBA Draft: 76ers Showing Interest in TCU's Desmond Bane

The Philadelphia 76ers need shooters for the 2020-2021 NBA season. The front office knows it, the fans know it, and so does 2020 NBA Draft prospect, Desmond Bane. The 22-year-old prospect out of Texas Christian University has garnered quite a substantial amount of interest from NBA franchises recently.

With the draft set for the 18th of next month, incoming prospects are partaking in interviews and workouts with interested organizations. This year, it's apparent which kind of prospects the Sixers will look at in terms of skillset. Being that Philly struggled to drain jump shots consistently this past season, they are looking to add to their arsenal not only through the trade market but through the draft as well.

TCU's Desmond Bane caught the Sixers' attention. According to the TCU Senior, the Sixers were one of 22 teams to get him on Zoom for an interview so far this offseason. After speaking with 76ers Vice President of Scouting, Vince Rozman, Bane, and his agent believe the Sixers were one of the most enthusiastic organizations about bringing him in through the first round of the draft potentially.

“There’s been a lot of interest with Philly,” Bane said, per Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “We feel good about where we’re at with Philly.” During his four seasons at TCU, Bane managed to play in 141 games (starting in 114). He averaged 30 minutes-per-game and knocked down 43-percent of his three-pointers. This past season, Bane averaged a career-high of 16 points-per-game, while draining 44-percent of his threes.

“Shooting is a necessity for [the Sixers], they need a lot of shooting,” the TCU prospect claimed. “Obviously the attention that Ben Simmons and [Joel] Embiid demand is huge, so guys like me are very valuable that can play off the ball and make shots have similar success to JJ Redick and Landry Shamet in previous years, running off screens. I feel like I can provide some of those same things.”

Since trading Shamet away and allowing Redick to walk off to join the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency last summer, the 76ers struggled to fill the void. While Furkan Korkmaz turned out to be a nice surprise off the bench throughout the year, the Sixers need to continue adding shooters for next season. Perhaps, they might pick up Bane with the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft next month.

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