NBA Draft Night

We dream of this exact moment having Adam Silver walk up to the podium and announce with the “1st pick of the 2020 NBA Draft the Minnesota Timberwolves select *insert your name*” it all seems surreal, but for Anthony Edwards it was reality. The Minnesota Timberwolves last night selected Anthony Edwards (Georgia) with their first pick. Followed by James Wiseman (Memphis) the first big man off the board heading to the Warriors and finally LaMelo Ball (USA) heading to the Charlotte Hornets. I hope Michael and Lavar don’t bump heads too much. A few other notable picks were the New York Knicks selecting Obi Toppin (Dayton) the John R. Wooden Award winner and the Orlando Magic selecting Cole Anthony (UNC) the son of basketball analysts and player Greg Anthony.

Since being from the suburbs of Philadelphia I had to spotlight the Philadelphia 76ers draft day, which surprisingly went extremely well. In the past year, it always seemed like the 76ers plans for the draft day were out of the ordinary and always had you wondering “Why do we need another athletic big that can play defense but not shoot.” Well, Daryl Morey has stepped in as the new president of basketball operations and didn’t disappoint. The trades and picks are listed below:

Trades:

Oklahoma City receive: Al Horford, 76ers 2025 1st round pick (protected 1-6), 34th overall pick

Philadelphia 76ers receive: Danny Green & Terrance Ferguson

Dallas Mavericks receive: Josh Richardson & 36th overall pick

Philadelphia 76ers receive: Seth Curry

Draft Picks:

21st Overall: Tyrese Maxey, University of Kentucky

49th Overall: Isaiah Joe, University of Arkansas

58th Overall: Paul Reed, DePaul University

Overall, what a fantastic night for a 76ers fan like myself. They relieved the contract of Al Horford that frees up 12 million dollars this season (Danny Green contract is 15 million this year) and 27 million dollars the following two seasons. As well they added Danny Green who is shooting 42% from beyond the arc and has multiple championships under his belt, but they weren’t done yet the 76ers added another deadly shooter in Seth Curry who is shooting 45% from beyond the arc. Surrounding both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid with shooters like that could ultimately propel this team to another level that Philadelphia has not seen.

Now with the selections, the 76ers took Tyrese Maxey with their first-round pick from the University of Kentucky. Tyrese is a combo guard that excels at creating his own shot and has the size and athleticism to play either guard position. With the 49th overall pick, the 76ers selected Isaiah Joe out of the University of Arkansas. The 76ers were huge on this guy and seemed like a match made in heaven for both sides. Isaiah is the prototypical 3 & D guy; he shoots well from beyond the arc and has active hands on the defensive side of the ball. Lastly, the sixers selected with the 58th overall pick Paul Reed out of DePaul University. Paul is the defensive anchor and rebounding machine down in the paint averaging 2.55 blocks and 10.7 rebounds while in college.

(Left – Tyresse Maxey, Center – Paul Reed, Right – Isaiah Joe)

I haven’t felt like this after a 76ers draft night in a long time, they finally made the correct selections and trades to contend for a championship. I wish Al Horford and Josh Richardson the best of luck with their new respected teams, but as always Trust the Process.