2020 NBA Draft
On draft night, the Philadelphia 76ers held the rights to one first-round pick (Pick No. 21) and four second-round picks (Picks No. 34, 36, 49 & 58). Trade talks remained pretty quiet until the second-round for the 76ers, but first, they selected Tyrese Maxey out of Kentucky with their first-round pick.
Standing about 6’1”, Maxey is a combo-guard who will not only spend some time this season at point guard behind Ben Simmons but will also play some shooting guard as well given his athletic abilities to attack off the edge. With Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris as the three main scoring options for Philly, Tyrese Maxey should be able to provide some solid minutes off the bench during his rookie season as a result of his slashing abilities from the wing.
On the drive, Maxey has great body control and is a great finisher at the rim with either hand. His offensive potential is as high as any incoming rookie and given the Sixers’ scoring woes over the years, Tyrese Maxey could earn himself a lot of playing time as a result.
Later on in the draft, the 76ers made a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, sending wing defender Josh Richardson and the No. 36 pick in the draft in exchange for Doc Rivers’ son-in-law, Seth Curry. Not only was this a great trade for Rivers as he gets to play with his father-in-law as the coach, but Curry is a much better player than any of the prospects that were left in the draft.
Last season, Curry ranked third in three-point shooting percentage at 45.2% and ranks second all-time in three-point shooting percentage. He is one of the best three-point shooters in the entire league and with him on the wing, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will have a true three-point shooting threat that they can feel comfortable giving the ball to.
The rights to the 34th pick in the draft were packaged together in the deal to the Thunder that sent Danny Green to the 76ers and then the Sixers selected Isaiah Joe 49th overall and Paul Reed 58th overall. The 6’9” Reed will spend most of his time in the NBA G-League this coming year as he agreed to a two-way contract with the Sixers, but Isaiah Joe has a chance to spend more time in the NBA.
Joe and the Sixers agreed to a three-year rookie deal with the first two years of the contract guaranteed. The Philadelphia 76ers wanted to add as much depth on the wing and at the shooting guard position as they could, which is why Isaiah Joe is a good fit for them. The 6’5” guard proved to be a reliable scorer during his time at Arkansas and has proven to be a legit three-point threat, shooting about 37.8% from deep.
The Philadelphia 76ers have some solid rookies to mold into role players for future seasons and overall, had a really solid draft night that was highlighted by trading for Seth Curry. He will make a big difference in this team’s offense this upcoming year and will likely continue his three-point shooting onslaught.
