June 07, 2026
Bob Donnan/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Could the Sixers end up with one of three stellar frontcourt players from the national champions?
If there is one area of the depth chart in which the Sixers are mostly settled now and moving into the future, it is the pair of guard positions.
Today and for many years to come, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe will be a dynamic backcourt pairing, certain to lead the Sixers into their next era of basketball. The Sixers need to maintain quality guard play behind them – Jared McCain is gone now, and Quentin Grimes is getting set to become an unrestricted free agent – but that is much easier than finding quality starters.
As new Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey prepares to make his first draft pick as a lead shot-caller, there is no reason to write off the Sixers selecting a guard at No. 22 overall. But, all things being equal, a forward or center would probably be ideal.
In this mock draft roundup, all three experts match the Sixers with frontcourt players:
Any player legitimately viable at both power forward and center is automatically more valuable to the Sixers than most teams given the unusual nature of Joel Embiid's availability. The Sixers have a constant need for support behind Embiid at center and next to him at power forward. Kevin O'Connor's mock draft has them taking someone whose disappointing freshman season does not entirely dampen his long-term outlook:
"Finding a center to play behind Joel Embiid needs to be prioritized. Embiid simply cannot be trusted to stay on the floor. Cenac checks every box on paper as a superb athlete who moves like a wing, has the length to alter shots, and shoots from the perimeter. Houston handed him a starting role with national title aspirations and trusted him with heavy minutes. But the Cougars fell short again, in part because Cenac struggled to stay out of foul trouble, couldn't score efficiently, and was overeager to play on the perimeter despite having the body of a bruiser. He arrived in college with lottery expectations, and he still could become that player in the future. But the NBA team drafting him is taking a project." [Yahoo! Sports]
Cenac, listed at 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds, shot just over six three-point attempts per 100 possessions at Houston, making exactly one out of every three long-range tries. He was a monster on the glass, too, averaging a whopping 19.6 rebounds per 100 possessions. O'Connor believes he is a longer-term bet, not a plug-and-play sort of prospect. Would that dissuade the Sixers?
MORE: Paul George as part of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade?
One of the most popular picks for the Sixers during this cycle has been Johnson, one of three impressive members of the frontcourt which led Michigan to a national championship. Zach Buckley joins the party:
"The Sixers can, should and almost certainly will use this pick to breathe new life into their frontcourt. They'll just have to decide whether they want depth at the 4 spot or insurance behind Joel Embiid at the 5. Then again, Johnson might offer the best of both worlds, since he has enough strength and length to handle spot minutes in the middle but also the necessary quickness and agility to hang with wings. His motor, defensive versatility and physicality are all obvious strengths, and if he shoots anything like he did at the combine, the Sixers would be getting a steal."[Bleacher Report]
The guess here: teams will not factor Johnson's combine shooting nearly as much as the fact that in 1,004 total minutes for the Wolverines in 2025-26, he only attempted 35 three-point shots. He did shoot 34.3 percent on those attempts, and made 78.2 percent of his free throws on good volume.
MORE: 2025-26 Sixers year-in-review
Another athletic frontcourt prospect coming off a disappointing freshman season, Peat was one of the higher-profile players to take their stay-or-go decision down to the wire. Ultimately, Peat stayed in the draft, and Isaac Trotter hypothesizes he could fit in Philadelphia:
"The Sixers are going to play with a ton of pace when Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are on the floor together. That meshes almost flawlessly with what Peat needs to thrive. The much-maligned Arizona product can impact winning as a connector who can make reads in the open floor. Peat running stride-for-stride with burners like Edgecombe and Maxey is a scary proposition and eases the runway into the league. Scoring in the halfcourt is going to be a challenge for Peat, who relies heavily on brawn and power to go through defenders, but he may not be asked to do that too often if he's next to an All-Star like Joel Embiid, who could accentuate Peat's cutting and play-finishing. Peat's situation will be an important variable while he fixes his out-of-sync jumper. The Philadelphia situation certainly makes a lot of sense." [CBS Sports]
Perhaps Gansey's selection at No. 22 overall will also serve as the first indication of the lens through which he sees this team-building operation looking moving forward. Is the goal to maximize short-term aspirations around Embiid, Maxey and Paul George, or think about longer-term fits around Maxey and Edgecombe?
MORE: Sixers future draft pick tracker
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