The Philadelphia 76ers have selected Tennessee G Jaden Springer with the No. 28 pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
The 76ers held the best record in the Eastern conference entering the playoffs, but flamed out in Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the playoffs. Joel Embiid has developed into an MVP-caliber center and Tobias Harris is a borderline All-Star on the wing, but Ben Simmons has failed to add to his offensive game since entering the league.
Simmons’ failures in the playoffs have led to the Sixers entering discussions about trading the guard. His defensive development hasn’t mitigated his complete disregard for midrange and perimeter shooting. That deficiency reared its head against the Hawks. Unfortunately, Simmons’ value is very low right now and the 76ers won’t get the return they want. It’s most likely they keep him around for another year and hope he can take more shots.
The 76ers don’t have cap space, but will bring back the core of a contender. Embiid, Simmons, Harris, Seth Curry and George Hill make up a solid veteran group. while Matisse Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton round out a decent rotation. Philadelphia could go over the cap to bring back Danny Green, although that seems unlikely. The Sixers will hope their first-round pick can contribute immediately, at least during the regular season.
Philadelphia 76ers 2021 NBA Draft picks
No. 28, first round: Jaden Springer, G, Tennessee
No. 50, second round: Filip Petrusev, PF/C, Serbia
No. 53, second round (via NOP): Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky
Fantasy basketball outlook
Jaden Springer — The point guard will get minutes with the second unit immediately, but expect him to be more of a distributor than a scorer in his rookie season. The Tennessee product will do most of his development work behind the scenes, but could be put into more high-pressure situations if the Sixers deal Ben Simmons.