To put it lightly, the NBA Draft involves a ton of legwork for teams. Though the same is true for every part of professional basketball operations, it becomes a more streamlined process as the players get older. The Sixers don't have to guess if Jimmy Butler will become a good player, because he has already proven he is over years and years of work, they just have to figure out the salary and fit machinations around him.
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This time of year, there is a lot of discussion about how much guessing is done about prospects, and it's not unfounded. You're relying on small samples of games and numbers, intel from college coaches and teammates, and blending together opinions from number crunchers and traditional scouts. Of course, there will be a lot of gray areas. But it should be understood that a ton of effort goes into this process, even if the results are unpredictable and some teams look much smarter than others.
As we approach this Thursday's NBA Draft, I thought it would be useful to share a list of players I know the Sixers have seen in workout settings over the past month-and-a-half. This is by no means a complete list, and I am certain there are players they have been linked to in mock drafts that they may have seen in alternative settings, or in one of the listed workouts here. I can only share what I know for certain and will update this list if any new knowledge comes to the forefront.
(Additionally, I left some names off of the agent workout lists when I felt they were not relevant to the Sixers from a draft perspective. Some of those players could end up on a Summer League roster, but are longshots to be drafted at all.)
Group workout, Philadelphia, May 6th
O’Shae Brissett (Syracuse)
CJ Elleby (Washington State)
Andrew Nembhard (Florida)
Ronshad Shabazz (Appalachian State)
Tres Tinkle (Oregon State)
Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra)
Combine interviews, Chicago, May 15th-19th
Group workout, Philadelphia, May 20th
Ky Bowman (Boston College)
Tookie Brown (Georgia Southern)
Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State)
Terance Mann (Florida State)
Marial Shayok (Iowa State)
Max Strus (DePaul)
Impact Sports Management, Vegas, May 27th
Charles Matthews (Michigan)
Marcquise Reed (Clemson)
Christ Koumadje (Florida State)
Zach Norvell, Jr. (Gonzaga)
Ky Bowman (Boston College) — SECOND TIME SEEING HIM
Nassir Little (University of North Carolina)
Terence Davis (Ole Miss)
Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan)
Wasserman Media Group, Los Angeles, May 28th
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech)
Luka Samanic (KK Olimpija Llubljana)
Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga)
De'Andre Hunter (Virginia)
Klutch Sports Group, Los Angeles, May 28th
Talen Horton-Tucker (Iowa State)
Darius Bazley (New Balance)
Donta Hall (Alabama)
BDA Sports, Los Angeles, May 28th
Grant Williams (Tennessee)
Jaxson Hayes (Texas)
Roc Nation Sports, Los Angeles, May 28th
P.J. Washington (Kentucky)
Kevin Porter Jr. (USC)
Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State) — SECOND WORKOUT
Tyus Battle (Syracuse)
Chris Johnson, Los Angeles, May 28th
Terry Harris (North Carolina A&T)
Gary Durant Sports Management, May 29th
Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky) — RETURNED TO COLLEGE
Tacko Fall (University of Central Florida)
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 3rd
Terence Davis (Mississippi) — SECOND WORKOUT
Luguentz Dort (Arizona State)
Zach Hankins (Xavier)
Terry Harris (North Carolina A&T) — SECOND WORKOUT
Garrison Mathews (Lipscomb)
Naz Reid (Louisiana State)
Supplementary reading: Tobias Harris' brother Terry says he's unaware of star's free agency plans
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 5th
Eric Carter (Delaware)
Carsen Edwards (Purdue)
Jonathan Kasibabu (Fairfield)
CJ Massinburg (Buffalo)
Charles Matthews (Michigan) — SECOND WORKOUT (Note: Matthews tore his ACL during workout with Boston)
Quinndary Weatherspoon (Mississippi State)
Supplementary reading: Carsen Edwards unfazed by height concerns heading into NBA
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 6th
Shizz Alston, Jr. (Temple)
Harry Froling (Adelaide 36ers)
Donta Hall (Alabama) — SECOND WORKOUT
Jaylen Hoard (Wake Forest)
Josh Perkins (Gonzaga)
Dylan Windler (Belmont)
Supplementary reading: Is Dylan Windler's shooting enough to warrant a selection?
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 7th
Bryce Brown (Auburn)
Christ Koumadje (Florida State) — SECOND WORKOUT
Adam Mokoka (KK Mega Basket)
Zach Norvell, Jr. (Gonzaga) — SECOND WORKOUT
Josh Sharma (Stanford)
Justin Simon (St. John’s)
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 8th
Phil Booth (Villanova)
Louis King (Oregon)
V.J. King (Louisville)
Eric Paschall (Villanova)
Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech)
Grant Williams (Tennessee)
Supplementary reading: Grant Williams, NBA Draft's renaissance man, is worth considering for Sixers
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 11th
Jarrell Brantley (College of Charleston)
Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan) — SECOND WORKOUT
Caleb Martin (Nevada)
Jeremiah Martin (Memphis)
Jaylen Nowell (Washington)
Marcel Ponitka (Arka Gdynia)
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 13th
Jon Davis (UNC Charlotte)Dewan Hernandez (Miami)
Ahmed Hill (Virginia Tech)
Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s)
Marcquise Reed (Clemson) — SECOND WORKOUT
Luka Šamanić (KK Olimpija Ljubljana) — SECOND WORKOUT
Supplementary reading: Could a Euro stash be in the cards for Philly?
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 14th
Kyle Alexander (Tennessee)
Daulton Hommes (Point Loma Nazarene)
Mahir Johnson (Goldey-Beacom College)
Nick Mayo (Eastern Kentucky)
Jordan Poole (Michigan)
Isaiah Roby (Nebraska)
Group workout, Philadelphia, June 18th
Darius Bazley (Princeton HS, Ohio) — SECOND WORKOUT
Armoni Brooks (Houston)
Charlie Brown, Jr. (St. Joseph’s)
Kyle Guy (Virginia)
James Palmer, Jr. (Nebraska)
Yovel Zoosman (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
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