On Thursday afternoon, a league source told PhillyVoice that the Sixers have narrowed down their considerations for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to four players -- as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Thursday morning. The exact identities of these prospects are not confirmed as of this writing, but it is fair to assume Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe and Rutgers wing Ace Bailey are among them, as the former has reportedly already worked out for the team while the latter has a meeting scheduled in the coming days.
While there are wild cards imaginable -- if the Sixers have concerns about Joel Embiid's long-term health, bigs like Khaman Maluach from Duke and Derik Queen from Maryland could be in play -- the likeliest others in the mix figure to be Duke guard/wing Kon Knueppel and Texas guard Tre Johnson, whose dynamic shot-making talents could enable them to help the Sixers immediately as they eventually grow into more featured roles.
As soon as the Sixers landed the No. 3 pick, PhillyVoice began interviewing year-round draft experts to get Sixers-specific scouting reports about Edgecombe, Bailey, Johnson, Knueppel, Maluach and Queen. Over the last week, we dove deep into the statistical profiles of the four perimeter-oriented players who have generated far more buzz than the bigs.
If you missed any of those breakdowns, you can find them all here:
Johnson is as good of a shooting prospect as there has been in a long time, and he has a foundation to build on when it comes to on-ball scoring. But he is going to need to put on considerable muscle in order to become a viable NBA finisher and round out his scoring arsenal -- especially because he may not have a pathway to ever being a positive-impact defensive player.
Edgecombe is already a dynamic defensive playmaker, powered by strong effort and remarkable athleticism. That athletic prowess has also helped him become a terrific offensive weapon in transition. Edgecombe is not a bad shooter, but does have room to grow in that department. The main question: will his shot and suspect ball-handling skill improve enough for him to consistently score against set defenses?
Bailey is one of the most polarizing draft prospects in years, as some see a no-doubt-about-it superstar and others see a player with many more red flags than what is normally acceptable for a top-three pick. Bailey's ability to connect on tough shots is remarkable, but his shot selection and shaky handling call into question whether he will be able to generate enough good looks to be a star in the NBA.
Knueppel has one of the highest floors in this class, as his excellent and versatile shooting ability will translate to the NBA. He also possesses some real on-ball craft with the ability to be a secondary creator thanks to a strong feel for the game. But many question whether or not Knueppel will be able to consistently hold up defensively as a positional tweener with lackluster athleticism.
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