NBA Draft Preview: Big Men the 76ers Could Target

By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The NBA Draft, which marks the beginning of the NBA’s exciting offseason, takes place on Thursday night at 7 in the Barclays Center in New York City.

The Philadelphia 76ers, who hold pick No. 24 in the first round and pick Nos. 33, 34, 42 and 54 in the second round, are presented with a golden opportunity to add some much needed depth to its roster. With this year’s massive free agency period and Ben Simmons‘ presumed upcoming contract extension looming in the Sixers’ near future, general manager Elton Brand will have to make sure he takes advantage of his opportunities to add cheap talent to the roster. 

Throughout the week leading up to the NBA Draft, we will look at prospects that the Sixers could be interested in taking with their picks, beginning with big men who the team could take with their 24th overall pick in the first round. 

Bol Bol

Bol Bol is one of the most intriguing prospects coming out in this year’s NBA Draft. He has the talent on both ends of the floor to be a lottery pick, but has a history of foot injuries (including having season-ending foot surgery as a freshman at Oregon).

The son of Manute Bol, Bol Bol stands at 7-foot-2 and has a silky smooth offensive game. He averaged 21 points while shooting 56.1 percent from the field in his lone season at Oregon. As a freshman, he showed the ability to shoot from outside, making 3-pointers at a 52 percent clip. Thinking that his high 3-point percentage is coming from a lack of attempts? Incorrect. Bol Bol averaged 2.8 threes per game at Oregon. 

Bol Bol can rebound (averaged 9.6 boards per game) and he uses his athleticism and relatively quick feet to be able to be a good inside defender. He averaged 2.7 blocks per game at Oregon. 

However, the Kansas native has a history of foot injuries, something that will concern many NBA teams and is the reason why he might last into the 20s in the first round. Bol Bol also has a high center of gravity, and when combined with his slender frame (210 pounds), that could mean that he can be easily pushed off his spot by some of the stronger NBA bigs. Also, many scouts were concerned with his lack of a strong work ethic and desire to improve on the court. 

“The possibility of developing Bol into a unique, floor-spacing rotation big should keep him in the first round, but it’s tough to feel overly secure about him,” Jeremy Woo wrote in Sports Illustrated’s 2019 NBA Draft Big Board. 

Overall, Bol Bol presents as a high-risk, high-reward player. He already has loads of talent, but his injury history, concerns about his ability to handle an 82-game season, and his lack of a strong work ethic all present serious issues that could scare away a lot of NBA teams. The Sixers, who are looking for a big man to back up superstar Joel Embiid, should definitely take a look at Bol Bol if he falls to pick No. 24. However, the organization might be looking for more of a sure thing to give their backup center minutes to. 

Grant Williams 

Williams, a three-year standout at Tennessee, has shown throughout his time as a Volunteer that he is a team-first player. He has the ability and strength to run his offense out of the post, and he can both rebound and defend well. However, his small stature (6-foot-7, 240 pounds) as a power forward severely limits his potential and can hamper his positional versatility at the NBA level. 

The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a junior at Tennessee. He developed his game each year throughout his college career, resulting in career highs all across the board. 

Williams’ big weakness as a NBA prospect is his lack of size and how that will affect his fit in the NBA. While he excelled at using his strength out of the post in college, many NBA scouts are concerned with how he will match up with bigger NBA power forwards. However, he is a high-IQ player and some scouts believe that he will be able to figure out how to get around his size disadvantage. 

One way that Williams would be able to help his offense at the NBA level is by improving his outside shooting. He shot 32.6 percent from 3-point range on just over one attempt per game as a junior at Tennessee. If he is to overcome the weaknesses that his size present, he will have to become both a better and more confident shooter from deep. 

“While it’s reasonable to bet on him figuring out a way to be successful, his on-court limitations will likely require a strong system fit for him to carve out a long-term role, and his upside isn’t extreme,” Woo wrote.

While Williams would not be the best fit as a 76er, he would add some much needed toughness, strength and physicality to the team’s bench unit. He would most likely be competing for minutes with Jonah Bolden and Mike Scott (if he returns in free agency). 

Nic Claxton

If you are looking for someone who has immense potential, then Claxton is your guy. As a sophomore at Georgia, he made great strides in his game on the floor, averaging 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. He has shown glimpses of potentially becoming a 3-and-D player in the NBA. 

He is surprisingly quick on his feet considering his size (6-foot-11, 217 pounds) and has the versatility and athleticism to be able to guard both power forwards and centers. 

“He’s quick enough to switch onto bigger wings, has the length and instincts to alter shots, and was a productive rebounder while playing big minutes all season,” Woo wrote.

A career 30.2 percent 3-point shooter, Claxton has shown the potential to be able to expand his offense to incorporate an outside shot. A common NBA comparison for the South Carolina native is current Boston Celtics’ big man Al Horford. Horford took until his ninth season to expand his offensive game to incorporate a 3-point shot. 

Another interesting aspect of Claxton’s game is his ability to handle the ball. He has shown that he can excel in the fast break as a ball handler. Georgia even allowed him at times to bring the ball up, something that you very rarely see from a NBA big man. 

Whichever team drafts him will certainly have to be patient and allow him to further develop his game, but Claxton has the potential to eventually become a starting caliber NBA big man. Claxton would be an intriguing option for the 76ers, although they might be looking for more production in the current moment as they look to take the next step and reach the NBA Finals. 

Mfiondu Kabengele

Kabengele, standing at 6-foot-10 and 256 pounds, presents another interesting big man option for the 76ers. He has shown during his two years at Florida State that he has the ability to score from anywhere on the court. He has a high release to go with a soft touch on his jumper. He shot 36.9 percent from 3-point range last season and he also has the touch to be able to score out of the post. 

Kabengele’s body will benefit from not playing more than 21.6 minutes per game in any year of his college career at Florida State. He excels at getting to the free throw line (4.9 attempts per game in just under 22 minutes) and will be fresh coming into the NBA. 

He plays with a lot of energy on the floor, and has the potential to become a solid role player in the NBA if he can continue to improve his outside shooting. 

The Sixers should consider Kabengele, but only if they trade down later into the first round. His ceiling, only as a role player, means that it would be a reach for any team to draft him lower than around the 27th or 28th pick in the first round.