Mood: pic.twitter.com/D2wYtH9Ugp
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) May 20, 2015
I think it's safe to say the Sixers are excited.
Sam Hinkie met with reporters following the NBA Draft Lottery and seemed to be very happy about how the night turned out for the Sixers.
Hinkie said the Sixers ran the numbers and the likeliest outcome was to get the number four overall pick. So getting the third pick was a positive.
Hinkie was asked about whether he thinks the Sixers could get a "real difference maker" with the number three overall pick. He said they should get a real difference maker, but also threw some love to Joel Embiid, saying "I think the last top 3 pick we got could easily be a real difference maker. I know it's out of sight out of mind" but Embiid has a chance to make a huge impact, as well as the new player we get.
Hinkie seemed to refute notion that it was all but guaranteed that the Sixers would have their choice between D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay after the two bigs, Karl Anthony-Towns and Kahlil Okfaor go one, two. Hinkie pointed out that the mock drafts this time of year are often wrong, and anything can happen between now and the draft in June.
(Side note: I agree. D'Angelo Russell has been rocketing up draft boards. Given his skill set (great passer and three point shooter with size), he has a very good chance of going in the top 2, which could really throw people for surprise).
One of my favorite moments from the interview was Hinkie saying the Sixers did a lot of work early on in the process, more then they have done in the past, and that it will continue until the draft night: "I'm not wired to say that's enough."
Hinkie also touched on how much this pick means to the Sixers organization moving forward:
#Sixers Hinkie: 'I can't imagine (pick meaning more to other team than #76ers).'
— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) May 20, 2015
Finally, Hinkie wondered if there was a little bias this year regarding the rookie of the year voting. He said Nerlens Noel was one of the most impactful rookies in the league and one of the best young players in the league that should have been given stronger consideration for rookie of the year.
Speaking of Noel, he was also interviewed after the Draft Lottery. As our own Matt Rappa wondered during the Draft Lottery, Noel confirmed that he made the jacket as a way to show the world the new jerseys the Sixers were introducing. Noel What do you think?
(Photo: @ROCMODERNLIFE)
We will have plenty of coverage here in the coming weeks up to the draft, so make sure that you keep checking back here for updates.
Patrick Causey, on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
