Sixers set direction on draft night

After weeks of diligent work behind the scenes, newly hired President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie quickly transformed the Sixers on draft night last month, completing a trade that resulted in the acquisition of the rights to Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans.

As a freshman, the Everett, Massachusetts native, Noel, took college basketball by storm. The nation’s top-ranked recruit in 2012 according to both ESPNU recruiting and Scout.com, and the second-best by Rivals, he arrived at Lexington with big shoes to fill – those of center Anthony Davis, the first-overall pick in the 2012 draft. Noel lived up to the great expectations placed upon him, averaging 10.5 points (on 59% shooting), 9.5 rebounds (third-best in the SEC), and a remarkable 4.4 blocks (tops in the SEC by over a block and a half) per game.

The sixth-overall pick in the 2013 draft, Noel was widely regarded as the draft’s top prospect, even after sustaining a left knee injury against Florida on February 12. So Hinkie and the Sixers were excited when Noel was still unexpectedly on the board at number six and the Pelicans were willing to negotiate a deal for his rights.

The trade is one part of an overall plan by the Sixers to position themselves long-term among the league's elite. 

“The ownership here and the people in this organization have a real commitment to build something lasting and to build something big,” Hinkie said on draft night. “That won’t come overnight. ... We need to keep focused on that. Historically, the best way to guarantee yourself a chance to be in the mix, long term, is to focus on it and maybe focus with a little longer lens than others might.”

Looking through that lens, the Sixers could have as many as five selections in next year’s draft and possess flexibility under the salary cap as defined by the new CBA. They also have on their roster four promising, young players born in 1990 or later – Noel (1994), Michael Carter-Williams (1991), Arsalan Kazemi (1990), and Arnett Moultrie (1990).

“In some senses, it should be clarifying,” Hinkie said of the Sixers’ future. “We will take steps like [we took on draft night] over and over and over. We will take steps to be really future-focused and to really try to build something special.

“Everyone wants the same things. All of our players, all of our coaches. ... We all want to win. We all want to build something we can be proud of.”

Posted: 7:23AM, July 14, 2013