Getty Kendall Brown, Philadelphia 76ers
It looks like the Philadelphia 76ers have some work to do, as they now own the 22nd pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
On June 2, it was confirmed that the Brooklyn Nets would be deferring the 2022 first-round draft pick owed to them by the Sixers until 2023, giving Daryl Morey another opportunity to find some cost-controlled talent that can hopefully go some way to kicking off the team’s inevitable re-tooling around James Harden and Joel Embiid.
According to Kyle Neubeck, the Sixers shouldn’t need to look too far, as Baylor standout Kendall Brown could be the perfect player, should he be available in the early 20s of the first round.
“Brown may be the best athlete in the entire draft, plays hard, defends well, and finishes at a high level at the basket…On Philadelphia’s end, there’s still logic to betting on a guy like Brown, who has prototypical tools on the wing. With James Harden expected to handle a lot of the creation duties for the Sixers from the perimeter, a player with good cutting instincts (and excellent finishing ability) like Brown has could easily pile up a few easy baskets per game by learning Harden’s tempo and cadence.
His shot quality will go up from all over the floor with the burden of creation taken off of his shoulders, allowing Brown to focus his development specifically on something like corner-three shooting, where we’ve seen players make themselves careers and lots of money next to playmakers like Harden,” Neubeck wrote in a recent article for the Philly Voice.
What Does Kendall Brown Bring to the Team?
According to NBA Draft Junkies, Brown’s greatest asset is his explosive athleticism, allowing him to be a true rim threat when slashing through the lanes as an off-ball cutter, his six-foot-eight frame also means he’s got good size to handle the physicality of playing on the wing in the NBA.
The same size and explosiveness also project to make Brown a genuine on-ball defender at the next level, particularly on the perimeter where he can use his speed and agility to stay in front of opposing wings or guards.
However, Brown does come with some flaws, and the biggest one is his limited jump shooting ability, specifically from the perimeter. It’s not so much that his shooting mechanics are poor, but rather that he’s reluctant to let it fly from deep, so taking a jump to the NBA three-point line is likely to make him even more unwilling to fire away.
The Sixers need shooters to space the floor for Harden and Embiid, especially when they enter their two-man game. But, having an athletic wing that can guard the perimeter and pressure the rim as a slasher is still an important skill set to have within a rotation. Brown can also develop his scoring game once he enters the league, and will get plenty of opportunities to get his reps in while coming off the Sixers bench.
All in all a high-level athlete with an NBA-ready body and high-upside as a two-way wing is nothing to sniff out towards the bottom of the first round.
Shooting is Still the Biggest Need
Whether the Sixers decided to draft Brown or not, they still need to address their floor spacing issues. A large part of the team’s problems since adding Harden has been their inability to create enough spacing for him and Embiid to thrive when running pick-and-rolls on the perimeter.
Outside of Tyrese Maxey, everybody else on the roster is likely available in trade talks, as long as it sees a skilled scorer coming back in return. Of course, Morey needs to be careful that he doesn’t swing the team’s issues towards not having enough defense – it’s a fine line to walk.
I really wish other Sixers fans would realize while Doc hasn’t been perfect, the team’s lack of success isn’t directly on him. Y’all ignore how the bench was pitiful, especially after the Harden trade. You can’t blame a coach for players missing open shots
Luckily, the front office has a couple of months to figure things out and make the moves they deem necessary to put the Sixers in position to challenge for an NBA Championship next year.
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