The Philadelphia 76ers appear to have their 2015 NBA draft selection narrowed down to two players: D'Angelo Russell and Kristaps Porzingis. While most experts project Philadelphia to use its third overall pick on Russell, ESPN's Chad Ford believes the Sixers drafting Porzingis is a serious possibility.
Virtually all mock drafts have Philadelphia going with Russell, provided Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor both are off the board. Although the 76ers are loaded in the front court, team general manager Sam Hinkie has a reputation for ignoring his team's positional need and drafting the best player still on the board. According to Ford, that seems to mean Hinkie's draft board is narrowed down to Russell and Porzingis - even if Russell cancelled his pre-draft workout with the team.
"I don't think there's any way Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will be deterred from taking Russell if he's the Sixers' guy. They don't need him to come in for workouts," Ford wrote Monday. "Speaking of the Sixers, as I've noted over the past few weeks, there's a growing feeling that Porzingis could be their target if he's still on the board at No. 3. He certainly played well enough on Friday to warrant the pick. Yes, the Sixers are already loaded with bigs, but Hinkie's plan always has been to take the best talent. If he believes that's Porzingis, he'll take him and deal with the log jam later."
No other draft experts have Porzingis going as high as No. 3, but Ford has been high on the Latvian 7-footer for months. The 19-year-old played last season overseas in Spain, where he drew comparisons to a Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitkzi. Porzingis is a true stretch-4 with the ability to space the floor with 3-point shooting, something scouts believe will translate into the NBA.
As for Russell, him cancelling of his workout - reportedly due to illness - with Philadelphia is unlikely to have any effect on his standing with the team if he's the player Hinkie wants. Moreover, Russell is considered the best point guard in the class of 2015 and would fill the 76ers need for a 1-guard.
