The fact that the Sixers trying to keep their own pick this year has become a real conversation is astounding.
To say it’s been a rough couple of weeks for Philadelphia is an understatement. Thanks in large part to having four different starters go down for an extended period of time with injury, they’ve plummeted down the Eastern Conference standings into the Play-In tournament.
The skid, combined with the uncertainty of when those guys may be back, has made the topic of the Sixers trying to retain
their top-4 protected first round something seriously considered.
The good news is unlike last season, the Sixers won’t be completely screwed if they happen to fall into the lottery and the slim odds don’t break their way. They of course own the Houston Rockets’ first-round pick from a trade you might have heard about.
Houston had another tough week in which they posted another 1-2 record. They squeaked out a win over the New Orleans Pelicans but dropped their games against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, that hasn’t resulted in any movement for the pick — it’s still 24th overall, where it was a week ago. The early 20s remains a very tight bunch though. The Rockets are just a half game behind three teams that are tied for the 21st spot.
Another reason to think about the draft is March Madness is about to start. This very blog may have something in the works about prospects to keep an eye on in the tournament. For now, Iowa State, Alabama, Arizona and Michigan may all be teams worth keeping an eye on from a Sixers perspective. All four of those teams are high seeds as well, with the potential to make a deep tournament run.
