Derek Bodner covers the 76ers for Philadelphia magazine. Follow @DerekBodnerNBA on Twitter.
Colangelo “Knows What He Would Do Today” With 1st Pick — Sources Say It’s Ben Simmons
In an interview on 94 WIP, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo says he knows what he would do if the NBA Draft were held today.
LSU forward Ben Simmons is the favorite to be selected by the Sixers with the first overall pick on June 23rd | Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
In an interview with Howard Eskin on 94 WIP, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo admitted to knowing what he would do with the first pick if the draft were held today.
“Do you know, right now, who you are going to take with the #1 pick?” Eskin asked Colangelo.
“Yes,” Colangelo responded. “I know what I would do today.”
Colangelo clarified that there is still more information to be collected, and that conclusion was subject to change.
“You want to leave your options open right down to the bitter end,” Colangelo said. “Any number of things can happen in this process. Players reveal certain things over time. Some of it is based on scouting and watching games, and some of it is based on the interview and meeting process, some of it is based on individual workouts and physical informatoin. You look at everything, you want to comb through all of the data to make sure there is nothing you have not uncovered.”
Colangelo also admitted he’s not allowed, per league rules, to announce his decision in advance.
“In the event of a draft pick you cannot publicly state who you are going to select prior to the commissioner walking up on stage and making that announcement,” Colangelo said. “Even if we were set in stone on our decision, we’d be prohibited by league rules to do so in terms of telling people.”
As I reported over the weekend, multiple sources with knowledge of the Sixers’ thought process say it is LSU forward Ben Simmons who Colangelo is leaning toward selecting first overall in June 23rd’s NBA draft.
While it would be too early to say with certainty that Simmons will be the Sixers’ selection in just over three weeks, it appears it would take something substantial, and unexpected, to shift the Sixers off of their current thought process.
You can listen to Colangelo’s interview on WIP here.
