2016 NBA redraft has Sixers taking Brandon Ingram over Ben Simmons
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Back in 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers held the No. 1 pick in a pretty deep draft. The Sixers were going to land one of the top talents and continue to build their team for the future.
They went with Ben Simmons out of LSU, who went on to play four seasons with the Sixers. He sat out his first season due to injury and sat out his last one due to a holdout and a back injury before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He made an All-Star game three times. He won the Rookie of the Year honor. He made it to the All-Defensive first team twice and an All-NBA third team once.
However, he has not realized his full potential. He has not had his best moments in the playoffs, and both he and the Sixers decided it was time to move on.
A 2016 redraft performed by Bleacher Report has the Sixers taking Brandon Ingram with the No. 1 pick over Simmons. Their decision came down to Ingram or Jaylen Brown. Ultimately, the website went with Ingram. Simmons went fifth to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the redraft.
B/R on the choice:
Ingram gets the nod here for a few reasons. First, and most importantly, he’s shown significantly more as a facilitator.
Brown is more of a finisher, and you need those as well, but they’re often reliant on creators. Ingram may not be a point forward like LeBron James, but his playmaking is a lot closer to point forward status than Brown’s is.
It almost feels nitpicky, but the two extra inches in height and three extra inches in wingspan help Ingram as well. That additional length can help him survey the floor and get jumpers off a bit easier against on-ball defense.
And finally, there’s Ingram’s age. He’s a year younger than Brown, which isn’t a huge difference. But when the margins are this thin, that’s a factor.
Ingram has blossomed into an All-Star player. He is averaging 23.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists in three seasons as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans after starting his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Simmons has had an impressive career, but one can certainly make the case for Ingram to go No. 1 in this draft due to the way the game is played with shooting being so important.
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