June 17, 2026
Leading up to the 2026 NBA Draft, PhillyVoice is speaking with scouting experts about prospects they believe the Sixers should be targeting with the No. 22 overall pick they acquired in the Jared McCain trade.
Up next: Zuby Ejiofor, one of the key pieces of the resurgent St. John's Red Storm in recent years. A tenacious big, Ejiofor has a captivating blend of physicality, intensity and feel, which optimists believe will outweigh his suspect three-point shooting and lack of clear position. He reportedly worked out for the Sixers on Tuesday.
Here to make the case for Ejiofor: Nathan Grubel, part of the great team covering the NBA Draft at No Ceilings, which just released its annual draft guide. Nathan just published a story on his favorite prospects in this year's class, which includes plenty of detail on Ejiofor.
Let's talk to Nathan:
Adam Aaronson: You have long been on the high end when it comes to evaluating Ejiofor, even recently labeling his potential fit in Philadelphia as one of your favorite matches between any pairing of prospect and team this year. For Sixers fans unfamiliar with Ejiofor’s game, can you zoom out and describe some of his primary strengths and weaknesses as a player? What makes you such an optimist about his NBA prospects?
Nathan Grubel: Ejiofor is one of the most versatile forwards defensively in this entire draft class, which makes him super enticing for any NBA franchise, let alone the Philadelphia 76ers. At 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, weighing in at 245 pounds, Ejiofor has the tools and physical frame to withstand contact and cover every position on the floor. Ejiofor has the footwork to keep up with guards in a pinch, can outmuscle opposing wings and forwards, and even has the base, length, and hands to make matters difficult for opposing centers. Few bigs in college, if any, could effectively back him down in the post, which is exactly what you would want to hear about a big man who by height is theoretically “undersized."
Offensively, he’s taken major steps forward through his college career as a ball-handler and passer from his position. His assist rate in college is comparable to that of a combo guard or wing, and he can take mismatches off the bounce and punish them in the paint. Not to mention he can operate in ball-screen actions, work in handoffs, and play an effective brand of motion-oriented basketball in the middle of the floor.
His jumper is his biggest question mark, as he’s been more willing to shoot of late, but hasn’t quite connected on a high percentage of his threes. As an older prospect coming into the league – Ejiofor will turn 23 years old next April – that’s certainly a question mark for scouts if he’s primarily cast as a power forward.
But in the NBA, I’m looking for positionally strong players who possess length and defensive playmaking characteristics, and can get to where they want to on the court and make the right plays. Ejiofor can finish at the rim, pass to the open man, operate in several areas on the floor, and cause all types of chaos defensively given his versatility. That’s a winning player in today’s game.
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AA: Last season, the Sixers made a stark pivot in terms of their approach to filling the power forward position. After many years of prioritizing three-point shooting and optimal spacing around Joel Embiid, they started coveting physicality, athleticism and rebounding with players like Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker. Would it be fair to assume drafting Ejiofor would be a continuation of that trend? What makes Ejiofor a different player than Barlow or Walker?
NG: Dominick Barlow was a great find for the 76ers in particular because of what he brought on the glass, his motor, and as the season progressed, his ability to cover ground defensively. Where I think Ejiofor has the advantage is based around his physicality and strength. Opposing matchups can’t go through Ejiofor on drives like they can Barlow should they get the step on him. And when it comes to defending opposing bigs, Ejiofor holds his spot on the low block much more effectively than that of Barlow when it comes to defending true centers that have the strength to match their size, anywhere from 6-foot-11 to 7-foot-plus.
This would most certainly be a draft choice that trends in the same direction, but the 76ers have consistently struggled on the defensive end time and time again because there isn’t one person on the team who can consistently cover bigger, stronger matchups at the wing and forward positions. Kelly Oubre Jr. has brought some toughness and athleticism during his time in Philadelphia, and obviously the Barlow acquisition helped, but this team needs more support and more “nasty” in the frontcourt to mitigate opposing drives to the basket, as well as support in boxing out and at bare minimum helping someone else secure a rebound to end the possession.
Not to mention, anyone who can help play backup center behind Joel Embiid, switch in ball-screen actions without fouling at a high rate, and defend opposing bigs is most certainly a need that has to be addressed this offseason, be it in the draft or in free agency. Why not use the No. 22 overall pick to get that player if he’s on the board?
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AA: Your enthusiasm about Ejiofor is clear. But if I told you that the Sixers will draft him at No. 22 overall and he will fail to provide much value in Philadelphia, what do you believe the most likely cause(s) of that disappointment would be?
NG: If Ejiofor failed to live up to expectations, it would be from not serving as much of a purpose from a versatility standpoint as anticipated. If Ejiofor failed to defend opposing bigs as a backup five in the same manner as he did at St. John’s, or provided little to no more resistance filling gaps and containing drivers than Oubre or Barlow, then that would be disappointing, even with the added support of boxing out and creating more events on the defensive end.
Anything Ejiofor can provide offensively with his skill set is a bonus, but if the jumper never threatened the defense at any point at the next level, that most certainly wouldn’t make fans happy either. My counter to all of those points would be that scouts and evaluators had the same questions about Collin Murray-Boyles during last year’s draft. Obviously, youth is on his side even still compared to Ejiofor, but both of them share similar out-of-the-box traits and characteristics that provide excellent value in the modern NBA. I’m still willing to take that bet even if some of the disappointing factors seem fairly obvious at face value as to why the pick wouldn’t work as high as I’d hope with the 76ers.
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