With the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of different ways they could go.
The idea that the Sixers will use this pick in a trade has been reported all over the place. For a team that doesn’t have several years to wait for a prospect to develop, it makes plenty of sense. However, the 76ers shouldn’t lose sight of the upside that can come with drafting a prospect at the range they’re in (or if they pair pick No. 16 with their 41st overall pick to trade up).
Even if you ignore the handful of selections before the Sixers are slotted to pick, there are plenty of success stories.
The Denver Nuggets drafted Christian Braun 21st overall in 2022 and he was one of their primary bench players on their championship-winning team as a rookie. Josh Green, the 18th pick in 2020, has become a key role player for the 2024 Finals-bound Dallas Mavericks. All three rookies drafted after the 17th pick in last year’s draft — Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandin Podziemski, and Cam Whitmore – each look like cornerstones for their respective teams. Philly knows that the 21st pick in 2020 has also been pretty dang good, too.
The 76ers shouldn’t hold onto their pick at all costs. It’s perfectly fine to try to see what it can bring in as a trade chip either by itself or in combination with others. But just because it may be hard to find a gem in that range doesn’t mean the Sixers should shy away from trying — if anything, it should entice them. These are the types of swings that good teams often end up hitting on. Good production on such cheap contracts is immensely valuable under a more punitive CBA.
The Sixers could very likely trade their pick for a role player like they did when they acquired De'Anthony Melton in 2022. But the player they get back has to be a legitimately game-changing role player or star, not someone who lacks a high-end skill or isn’t fit to serve as a top option behind Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. It's tough to gauge how many of those types of players — think guys like Alex Caruso — become available for trade, though.
Especially with Philly’s track record of scouting under Daryl Morey — which has produced great hits like Maxey at 21st overall, Paul Reed at 58th overall, and Ricky Council IV as an undrafted free agent — keeping the 16th pick could add to that collection of shrewd moves. Of the many names to consider, let’s break down three.
Tristan da Silva, Colorado
2023-24 per-game stats (34 games, 33.8 minutes per game): 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks
Shooting splits: 49.3 FG%, 39.5 3PT%, 83.5 FT%
Height without shoes: 6'8.25”, weight: 216.8 lbs, wingspan: 6'10.25”, age at the start of 2024-25 season: 23 years old
The 76ers are obviously hoping that the player they draft can slide right in and be an impactful player, if not a starter, right away. Few players are built to do that as well as da Silva, a big wing who can make a lot of the right plays on the court.
A native of Germany who spent four seasons at Colorado, da Silva has grown his game over the years and possesses a lot of complementary skillsets: shooting, passing, and defense both on and off the ball. He shot the ball at a high frequency for a forward, taking over 40 percent of his field goals from deep in his senior campaign. While da Silva may not be a big-time shot-creator, he can put the ball on the deck and drive (and kick to an open teammate with nice anticipation when defenses rotate).
If the 76ers select da Silva, they shouldn’t hope that he breaks out and becomes an All-Star. Players who enter the league as old as he is rarely do that, especially ones who don’t have an elite outlier skill. Da Silva can do a little bit of everything but doesn’t have one cream-of-the-crop skill to hang his hat on like, say, Dalton Knecht does with his three-point shooting.
However, modern team-building shows that having versatile role players can go a long way. That’s what makes da Silva so promising. He can play off the ball very well, checking the all-important “spaces the floor” box while also giving the Sixers someone who can keep the ball moving on offense. As much as Embiid and Maxey make the lives of their teammates easier, the Sixers should get role players who do the same.
Defensively, da Silva moves his feet well and does a great job of disrupting shots while avoiding fouls. He should be able to guard both forward spots and give bigger guards a good fight on switches. His ability to stick with plays even if the ball-handler gets a step on him shows hustle and instincts that will instantly make him a contributor to a good defensive unit.
Having da Silva under the tutelage of Nico Batum, should he decide to re-sign with the Sixers, would be massive for his development and the team's wing rotation in 2024-25. Batum's shooting, playmaking and defensive versatility from the wing made him extremely valuable for Philly this past season. Whether Batum helps train his successor or vacates a spot for him to take, da Silva is a safe prospect with a well-rounded set of skills.
Why should the Sixers trade away their pick for a ready-made player when there’s a great chance of one falling into their lap in the draft? Rookies are always a gamble but da Silva is a great bet to be an impact player from the get-go.
Isaiah Collier, USC
2023-24 per-game stats (27 games, 30.0 minutes per game): 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals
Shooting splits: 49.0 FG%, 33.8 3PT%, 67.3 FT%
Height without shoes: 6'2.5”, weight: 204.6 lbs, wingspan: 6'4.75”, age at the start of 2024-25 season: 2o
Thunder and lightning are often used as metaphors for a tandem of running backs in football where a speedy, skinny RB pairs up with a stocky, physical one. It’s not common in basketball vernacular but it could be exemplified well if the 76ers draft Collier and grow him into the starting guard alongside Maxey.
Collier spent last season at USC after being a five-star prospect in high school. The Trojans' lack of success and the fixation on Bronny James' development clouded what the nominee to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team did. Collier was one of nine freshmen in the last 20 years to average 16 points, four assists, and 1.5 steals per game with a free-throw rate above .45. His field-goal percentage ranked third among that group behind only Ben Simmons, who is approximately eight inches taller, and Kyrie Irving, who played just 11 games.
Collier's ability to put pressure on the rim is tremendous and should be unlocked even further by NBA-level floor-spacing. Just by his sheer size, he can move defenders and get into the paint. But he also has nice spin moves and shifty, crafty finishes below the rim that make him tough to stop. According to Hoop-Math, he shot 61.9 percent at the rim. That figure would be promising for any guard, let alone one on a team that doesn’t frantically push the pace or shoot the three-ball well.
On top of creating shots for himself in the paint and at the foul line, Collier uses his bulldozer play style to set up teammates. Defenses have to rotate over to contain him and he knows where to get the ball. He was a bit too turnover-prone but he still did much more good than bad. He's also not insanely explosive, a highly preferable trait for a guard whose value comes from slashing. Still, he can throw down a good dunk when the opportunities arise.
The major factor in Collier's ceiling is, of course, his three-point shooting. He's not at all a lost cause but it will be interesting to see if he can become a legitimate long-range threat. Even becoming a strong catch-and-shoot option — which should be made easier if he’s on a team with someone else he can share ball-handling duties with — would go a long way.
Defensively, Collier's strength and tenacity will come in handy. He may project better as a guard who plays solid defense but doesn’t always guard the best opposing guard, though. That might call his fit with Maxey into question. Perhaps he can focus on defensive consistency more when he has more help on the other end of the court. The potential is there for him to be a tough guy to score on but it has to be seen more often at the next level.
Even though the Sixers do need to find help on the wings, adding a prospect of Collier's talent would be rare to be available at such a deep point in the draft. Making Collier and Maxey the lead guards and stuffing the wings with veteran role players would give Collier a clear path to both develop his game in a supportive on-court set-up and help Philly win right away. Even making Collier the backup point guard for the time being would mutually benefit him and the Sixers.
Another guard the Sixers could go for is Devin Carter, an older player with more proven value on defense but whose high-end outcome on the other end doesn’t project to be as high as Collier's. They couldn’t go wrong either way but The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor recently reported that Carter was promised to be drafted by a team in the lottery, just before Philly's pick. Collier isn’t a perfect prospect but he's just too good to not consider at the 16th pick.
Tyler Smith, G League Ignite
2023-24 per-game stats (43 games, 22.2 minutes per game): 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 blocks, 0.8 steals
Shooting splits: 48.0 FG%, 36.0 3P%, 73.2 FT%
Height without shoes: 6'9”, weight: 223.8 lbs, wingspan: 7'1”, age at the start of 2024-25 season: 19 (turns 20 in November)
While da Silva would be a great pick, the 76ers may want to draft a wing that has a little more upside. Smith, a big, mobile forward with an impressive three-point shot, could be their man.
Shooting is always in style at the NBA level and Smith can instantly be a top-notch spot-up shooter. After playing a season in the G League and two seasons in the Overtime Elite league, where the three-point line is the same distance as in FIBA games — a little shorter than NBA/G-League's arc but slightly larger than the NCAA's arc — he is already accustomed to shooting efficiently from professional distance.
Last season with G League Ignite, Smith shot the ball in impressive fashion. The lefty took a healthy amount of threes for someone of his size and was pretty efficient. His free-throw percentage bodes well for him, as does his ability to shoot jumpers from the mid-range. He's comfortable firing away even on the move and with a hand in his face. Although he has to grow as an off-the-dribble shooter, he's already going to be a catch-and-shoot threat that defenses can’t leave unattended.
For such a big player, Smith has room to grow as a defender and rebounder. His athleticism popped here and there with some big dunks and blocks at the rim but, like many youngsters, consistency will be the name of the game for him. He has to be better at maintaining advantageous positioning on defense and bringing more to the offensive end than just his spot-up shooting. But for where he’s starting out and how young he is, it's worth rolling the dice to see if those other areas can be unlocked.
Smith isn’t the only big forward who can shoot that should be available at pick No. 16. There's also Bobi Klintman, who spent last season in Australia's NBL after playing a season at Wake Forest, and Tidjane Salaun, a French prospect who played in France's top professional league last season. While all three of these guys would make sense for the Sixers, Smith offers a nice middle ground as someone who has upside
Klintman, at 21 years old, is more experienced, shoots threes at a higher volume than Smith and has more polish than him on defense. He's closer to being a finished product than Smith, which could make the 76ers more interested in him. However, Smith could still be worth playing right away (or close to it) and could very likely be a more diverse scorer that still holds up pretty well on defense. A little extra risk for a little extra reward
Salaun, meanwhile, is roughly a year younger than Smith. He's even less polished and his shot variety hasn’t proven to be as diverse. Could that change down the line? Certainly. But the Sixers still have to see somewhat immediate results with whoever they pick at 16. Smith has more immediate upside than Salaun and still has the potential to be much better down the line.
The Sixers playing it safe with an older forward would be a totally defensible move. But as much as they want to win right now, they also have to keep in mind the future given that Maxey is going to enter his prime soon. They’ll want a player who can step into a bigger role and grow alongside him and the aging Embiid. Smith has the combination of skill and size to be that type of player while still having the potential to be a decent role player in the meantime.
