Subscribe
Follow Us
The Philadelphia 76ers did little but tread water in the 2022-23 NBA campaign. Heading into the season, plenty of folks believed that the Sixers would finally take that next step and establish themselves as legitimate NBA title contenders. But fast forward to the current day, and it's clear that the Sixers fell short of these expectations.
The Sixers finished the regular season with a 54-28 record, the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and the entire NBA. But after sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs, the Sixers lost to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Boston Celtics in seven games in the second round. The Sixers had a golden opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, as they were up 3-2 in the Celtics series but failed to close them out in Games 6 and 7, thanks largely to huge performances from Tatum.
The Sixers' 2022-23 season was certainly underwhelming, but a solid NBA Draft could have helped fans forget about the season that was. Unfortunately, though, the Sixers did not have a great draft, or even a good one, to be frank.
The Sixers didn't have a single pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. They signed three undrafted players in Ricky Council IV, Azuolas Tubelis, and Terquavion Smith, but none of these players project to be rotation pieces anytime soon. With all of that said, let's look at one big mistake that the Philadelphia 76ers made in the 2023 NBA Draft:
1 big mistake by Sixers in 2023 NBA Draft
Not trading up to draft Marcus Sasser in the first round
Understandably, some Sixers fans may not know how to feel about James Harden after he laid an egg in Philadelphia's Game 7 season-ending loss against the Boston Celtics. But while he's no longer the MVP-caliber player he was with the Houston Rockets five years ago, he showed this season that he's still among the elite scorers and playmakers in the game today.
James Harden led the entire NBA in assists per game among all qualified players this season with 10.7. It's the second time in his pro career that he's led the league in assists, as he also did during the 2016-17 season.
And scoring-wise, Harden is still elite, thanks to the value he brings to the table as a three-point shooter. He shot 38.5% from behind the three-point arc on 7.2 attempts per game, an impressive blend of usage and accuracy.
But Harden will hit unrestricted free agency this July, so the Sixers should have traded up for Marcus Sasser to be the team's safety blanket at the point guard spot in case Harden decides to sign elsewhere.
The Boston Celtics traded away the draft rights for Marcus Sasser to the Detroit Pistons for pennies on the dollar. They received three second-round picks from the Pistons, an offer that the Sixers could have given the Celtics, too.
Sasser is a 6'1″ guard who played for Houston. He averaged 3.1 dimes per game in his senior year, which isn't an otherworldly number, but Sasser oozes playmaker potential.
Sasser did a great job at limiting turnovers during his college career. He averaged just 1.4 turnovers per game across his four-year career at Houston, a very low number for a high-usage guard such as himself. Plus, Sasser had a lot of success and looked comfortable functioning as the pick-and-roll ball handler for Houston throughout his collegiate tenure.
