So, um, maybe Ben Simmons isn’t a lock to go No. 1 to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA draft?
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, the Sixers have a private workout set up with Duke’s Brandon Ingram:
Vertical Sources: Duke's Brandon Ingram has scheduled private workout and meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 10, 2016
Quick, someone, anyone, sound the alarm.
So long as it’s the alarm you sound that tells everyone not to sound any other alarms.
Copy that?
This is a pretty standard part of the draft process. Some top prospects elect not to work out with certain teams. But when one does hold court with a squad, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Simmons should be the favorite to go first overall no matter what we hear about Ingram’s workout in Philly.
That being said, this is an interesting wrinkle, insofar as we believe that the Sixers are not irreversibly committed to Simmons. They have yet to trade any of their big men, most notably Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor, and have a gaping need for a combo forward who can shoot threes and play above-average defense. That’s Ingram to a T.
If he really impresses the Sixers in his workout, and if they cannot find a new home for one or both of Okafor and Noel in advance of the draft, who knows, maybe they roll with Ingram at No. 1.
Until that actually happens, though, you should still bank on Simmons donning a Sixers jersey come draft night.
