Fultz is far and away the best player in the 2017 class, and his fit with the 76ers is just about perfect. He is a long, athletic point guard who has the opportunity to be revolutionary on the offensive end of the court. Fultz's jump shot is already there, which would presumably allow him to play off-ball alongside Ben Simmons. His finishing at the rim is just as impressive -- he's superbly smooth around the basket and his handles and long stride let him get into the paint at ease. Defensively, he's currently struggling as part of a horrid Washington unit, but with a 6'10" wingspan and great lateral quickness, he has a chance to be a plus defender. At the very least, he would be a big upgrade over Sergio Rodriguez and T.J. McConnell on the defensive side of the ball.NBA Comparison: Damian Lillard with more defensive potential.
2. Josh Jackson, SG/SF, Kansas
Everybody knows Josh Jackson has a bad jump shot right now, but he does so much else to affect the game that he's easily my second favorite prospect after Fultz. Jackson's ability begins on the defensive end. He's a great perimeter defender, and adds a lot of value through steals, blocks, and rebounds. He also offers a lot of versatility on defense, potentially being able to switch one through five. A defense with Jackson on the perimeter and Embiid in the paint would be a force. Offensively, Jackson has some clear strengths too, even without a working jump shot. He shows great movement both off-the-ball as a slasher and on-the-ball as a playmaker. Additionally, he is already a great finisher at the rim and is so explosive and athletic that he flourishes in the fast break. If he doesn't develop a jump shot, he's still a good player; if he does, he's a star. I think the sixers are willing to take that chance.
NBA Comparison: Justise Winslow with more playmaking ability.
3. Frank Ntilikina, PG, France
This is where the 76ers big board likely begins to diverge from that of other teams. Ntilikina was a good prospect before this season started, but a lot of his value was in any team's ability to unlock his offensive potential. Well, there's no longer any need for that because Ntilikina has unlocked it himself. His three pointer has come alive this season, and it seems as if he could be a real catch-and-shoot weapon in the NBA. He's the perfect point guard to play off-guard with Ben Simmons as a result of this. Defensively, he would go a long way to solving the sixers perimeter defense problem, as his size and athleticism are huge assets.NBA Comparison: Michael Carter-Williams if he could shoot and was a lot quicker.
4. Jonathan Isaac, SF/PF , Florida State
Jonathan Isaac can shoot, finish at the rim, and defend, but so can a number of other players in this draft. What truly separates Isaac is that he packs those characteristics into a great NBA frame at 6'11" with a 7'1" wingspan. Offensively, he would create mismatches at both the three and the four, and would be a great complement to Simmons and Embiid with his spot-up ability. His biggest weakness is his relative lack of playmaking ability, but the 76ers glut of playmakers would help hide this. Of course, his ability to create could improve with age and would make him a star.
NBA Comparison: Kevin Durant without the ability to create for himself and others.
5. Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke
Tatum has forced his way up draft boards with his play for Duke thus far. We all expected him to have a fantastic mid range game, and he has certainly delivered in that regard, but thus far he's also proven himself to be a good off-ball player, passer, and defender. He's still extremely reliant on his mid range game, and the mid range is not the best shot in the new NBA, but he's so good at it that he might be able to make it work. Throughout the rest of the season, though, he'll have to showcase some semblance of a three point shot to stay this high on my draft board.NBA Comparison: DeMar DeRozan but less explosive and athletic.
6. OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana
There hasn't been as dominant a college defender as Anunoby in a long time. He's an eliminator on that side of the court. Teams consistently have to play away from whomever he's guarding. Offensively, though, he's very raw. Indiana doesn't ask him to create or be a playmaker offensively, but he does have a three point shot that shows promise and he's simply too athletic to not improve his on-ball ability. Anunoby is so explosive that at the very least he'll be a force in transition and a nuisance on the boards.
NBA Comparison: Kawhi Leonard when he came out of college.
7. Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
Ball has set the world on fire throughout his first couple months at UCLA, but there are still reasons to be cautious about him as an NBA prospect. Many people worry about his shot because his form is an absolute mess, but he consistently knocks down three pointers so I'm willing to at least partially pardon the form. What I'm more worried about is his inability to drive and make plays at the rim. He almost always appears tentative in attacking the paint. Despite this, he's been very effective at the college level offensively through his combination of three point shooting and great passing. He also projects as a pretty good defender because of his size, anticipation, and quickness.NBA Comparison: Honestly nobody, he's an elite passer with a real three point shot, a big body, and the wackiest shooting motion you've ever seen. That's nobody in the NBA right now.
8. Dennis Smith, PG, North Carolina State
I like Dennis Smith as a prospect, but he just doesn't fit with the sixers as well as some other perimeter players. Smith is very much an on-ball player, with great handles, elite quickness, and an impressive ability to finish at the rim. However, he's much smaller than the other PG prospects and projects as a worse defender. His biggest problem, though, is his jump shot, and a faulty jump shot at point guard is going to be a tough sell for the sixers coaching staff and management. He simply can't play off-ball along Ben Simmons until he develops a good jump shot.
NBA Comparison: John Wall in Chris Paul's body.
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