Are you interested in a big man that plays a lot of minutes on a lot of nights and eats rebounds for breakfast, lunch and dinner? If so, and most Sixers fans should be, then Hannes Steinbach is your guy. The 20-year-old German had a very strong freshman campaign statistically at the University of Washington and looks ready for the NBA. But will the Sixers be able to maneuver their way up in this month’s first round to land the Husky?
Profile
2025-26 Stats: 30 games, 34.6 minutes, 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds,
1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks, 57.7% FG, 34% 3P, 75.9% FT
Team: Washington Huskies
Year: Freshman
Position: PF/C
Height & Weight: 6’11” | 248 lbs
Born: May 1, 2006 (20 years old)
Hometown: Wurzburg, Germany
Strengths
Measuring at just under seven feet tall and 250 pounds, Steinbach will enter the NBA with a frame that should allow him to play a lot of minutes as a rookie. After all, he just finished a college season in which he was playing roughly 35 out of the 40 regulation minutes and did so in the Big 10. He’s not going to get pushed around in the paint like some bigs who come out of college with a lot of athletic traits but haven’t filled out physically.
Fundamentally, Steinbach is rock solid. His footwork enables him to find lots of ways to finish inside, something he does rather smooth and effortlessly around the rim. These sound fundamentals extend beyond interior scoring as Steinbach can be used effectively on the perimeter in pick-and-rolls and is comfortable passing out of said pick-and-rolls.
Both offensively and defensively he’s an aggressive rebounder and seems to always be in the right positions to possess the basketball. College stats can sometimes be misleading, but at the same time when you’re averaging almost 12 rebounds per game in your age 19 season as Steinbach did last year, you’re doing something right, wherever you’re playing.
Weaknesses
The majority of Steinbach’s concerns at the next level can be traced back to his lack of athleticism. While he has the smarts to be a good pick-and-roll player on the perimeter offensively, he is certainly not laterally quick enough to defend big men who are more capable of stretching the floor. The absence of elite athletic traits in Steinbach’s game also raises question about how good of a rebounder he will be in the NBA. Is he going to be able to average double-digit rebounds just on good positioning and instincts? There are some NBA bigs who might not be as fundamentally sound as Steinbach is but more than make up for that with their athletic ability.
Additionally, in his lone year of college basketball, Steinbach was not much of an outside shooter. His 34% from the three-point line might not look bad, but it came on less than two attempts per game and he didn’t have much of a midrange game either. Can he score 10-15 points per game as a rookie in the NBA solely on good fundamentals? Either way, if he’s going to be a regular starter, there needs to be some perimeter development as a scorer.
Positional Fit
With his current skillset, Steinbach is a traditional NBA center. If his jump shot develops well, he could be used as a bigger power forward that would develop into more of a three-level scorer. Having said that, you wouldn’t want Steinbach too far away from the basket on either end of the floor due to how well he rebounds. But his rebounding would make him a great fit with the Sixers, who finished second-to-last in postseason rebounding in 2026 and were only middle-of-the-pack in regular season rebounding. Steinbach would immediately be the second-most skilled offensive big on Philadelphia’s roster behind Joel Embiid and would play a lot of minutes with the Sixers as a rookie given Embiid’s constant lack of availability.
Draft Projection
SB Nation Mock Draft: In the most recent SB Nation mock, Steinbach goes at the tail end of the lottery to Golden State. The fit seems to track well given the Warriors might be looking for one last kick at the can with Steve Kerr on the sidelines and Steph Curry in the backcourt. An NBA-ready big to come into their lineup and rebound instantly would make sense. The problem for Philly is that Golden State has the 11th overall pick, well ahead of the Sixers at 22. Perhaps this is where a Paul George trade could make sense for the Sixers and maybe Golden State is a partner that makes sense. If new President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey covets Steinbach, a team that’s ahead of the Sixers that would be looking to contend next season and would value George’s veteran presence and postseason production might be a logical trade partner. Either way, it seems unlikely that Steinbach is available for Philadelphia if the team stays put at 22.
