Sixers Predicted to Land Jalen Brunson-Type in NBA Draft

An NBA mock draft suggests the Sixers could get lucky and end up with a Top 2 pick.

Jan 15, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) walks off the court after a victory in overtime against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

With a pick protection on their first-round pick, the Philadelphia 76ers’ disappointing year could end with them sending a selection over to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fortunately for them, the Sixers finished fifth in the NBA Draft Lottery standings, which gives their front office a high chance of holding on with a top-five selection, potentially.

The order up top isn’t set in stone. The lottery next month will determine where everybody picks. In a recent 2025 NBA Mock Draft, which included a random simulator, the Sixers nearly hit the lottery by winning the second-overall selection.

In this case, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman predicts the Sixers could end up with Rutgers star Dylan Harper, who landed a comparison to New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) shoots the ball while USC Trojans guard Chibuzo Agbo (7) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

“While the Sixers are in good shape with Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, they could still find use for Dylan Harper, particularly since he's 6'6" 215 pounds and potentially capable of playing a wing-creator role. Between Maxey, McCain and Harper, that lineup could apply tons of ball-handling and shotmaking pressure on defenses.” via BR

According to Tankathon, the Sixers have just a 10 percent chance of winning the lottery. They have a 42 percent shot at getting a top-four pick.

At Rutgers, Harper appeared in 29 games for his freshman campaign. The young star produced 19 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 33 percent from three.

Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey made a few things clear after the Sixers wrapped up their 2024-2025 season.

First, the executive noted that the Sixers view their best draft selection as a “tool” for their roster-building process, which doesn’t seem to rule out the idea of trading the selection. If they project a Brunson-type, it would obviously be in their best interest to keep it, considering that’s an All-Star-caliber comp. The Sixers have only traded their first-rounder once on draft night since the start of the Morey era.

Younger prospects might not have been viewed as impact players for the Sixers in the past, but the front office seems to be open to re-tooling their strategy. After prioritizing aging seasoned veterans over younger players, who haven’t been around too long, the Sixers seem to be open to more of a youth movement, while still building around Joel Embiid and Paul George.

Lastly, the Sixers won’t be drafting with positional need in mind. They have a lot of guards, but the best player on the board is a guard? Then the Sixers are taking a guard. The plan is to select the best player available and figure out the rest later. Harper is widely viewed as the second-best player in the draft behind Cooper Flagg. If the Sixers were to land No. 2, Harper could certainly be the pick.