By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia 76ers had a great 2017-2018 NBA Season, they had a 52-30 record and were able to make it to the NBA Playoffs, for the first time in six years. Now the Sixers will enter the NBA Draft with the 10th pick. This could be the 76ers final Top-10 pick because the team is on the rise and are a player away from really being a force to be reckon with in the Eastern Conference.  The 76ers are officially on the clock and need to draft a player like Mikal Bridges or Trae Young if he falls that far, who can make an immediate impact on the team.

One of the biggest weaknesses the Sixers had, was not having a player who could create their own shot other than Joel Embiid. This lack of a shot creator appeared throughout the season, but specifically in the playoffs. Teams were able to stop Ben Simmons from attacking the paint and creating opportunities for his teammates. The Sixers must use the draft to address this problem, and drafting Bridges or Young with the 10^th pick would be a start.

Villanova Forward, Mikhail Bridges has been the player most associated with the Sixers throughout the draft process. He is a two-way player who is deadly from the three-point line and can also create his own shot. Bridges helped lead the Villanova Wildcats to their second national title in three years.

Bridges scored 17.2 points per game and grabbed 5.3 rebounds per game. Bridges really increased his scoring output during his Junior year at Villanova and took a huge leap forward on the defensive end.

Bridges has been compared to Kawhi Leonard, and if he can duplicate that kind of success or be half the player Leonard is, then he is a can’t miss player for the Sixers.

Young is also a player that if he falls to the Sixers at 10, he could change the team forever. Young is a player who was a sniper from the three-point line. He also was the assists leader in college basketball this year, and he can create his own shot. The only thing Young does not do well is take care of the basketball. Young also fell in love with the three-point shot a little too much, but if the Sixers can develop him and cultivate that talent he has, they can really have a talented player in Young.

The Sixers cannot go wrong by selecting either Bridges or Young with the 10^th pick. The Sixers are getting ready to start one of the most important off-season’s in franchise history, and whoever they select with the 10^th pick will be an important piece of the franchise for years to come. The Sixers are officially on the clock and need to select an impact player because this maybe the last top-10 pick the team has for a very long time.