Sixers Snag Dynamic 6-Foot-7 Playmaker in Latest Mock Draft
The Philadelphia 76ers season is effectively over. Season-ending injuries to Paul George and Joel Embiid have ensured Nick Nurse’s team will conclude the campaign without making any significant noise.
While the Sixers’ season has undoubtedly been disappointing, it has provided the franchise an opportunity to retain its first-round pick in the upcoming draft. Philadelphia owes this selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder; however, it’s top-six protected, meaning the Sixers have a strong chance of keeping the pick.
In a March 19 mock draft from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, the Sixers land Kon Knueppel with the sixth pick in the upcoming draft.
“Knueppel was one of the players who helped himself most in the conference tournament cycle, leading Duke without Flagg,” Vecenie wrote. “In the team’s three ACC tournament games, he averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He showed executives he can be both a strong off-ball scorer and a potentially interesting on-ball player who can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s a terrific shooter, having hit 39 percent from 3 on nearly six 3-point attempts per game.”
Knueppel, a 6-foot-7 guard out of Duke, would provide legitimate competition to Quentin Grimes, should the Sixers manage to keep their standout performer beyond his current contract.
