June 23, 2026
Darren Yamashita/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Could the Sixers draft a small guard with the first-round pick they acquired for Jared McCain?
For months, Sixers fans and NBA Draft experts alike have wondered: exactly what are the Sixers looking for in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft?
The calculus required to answer that question changed dramatically last month, when Daryl Morey's six-year tenure as Sixers President of Basketball Operations came to an end. He has been replaced by Mike Gansey, who is in his first job as a primary decision-maker for an NBA franchise. Gansey ran the draft process for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the final say was not necessarily his. Now, he is calling his first shot when the Sixers pick at No. 22 overall on Tuesday night.
One last time, let's take a look at the prospects experts are matching with the Sixers in mock drafts:
After the Sixers traded Jared McCain for a package of draft picks led by this one – in part because his status as a small guard made him a questionable long-term fit with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe – it would be quite a twist if the Sixers used this pick to draft an even smaller guard. But that is what Jeremy Woo predicts:
"The 76ers brought in a range of candidates for this pick last week and can go best-available at this spot in new president Mike Gansey's first draft at the helm. Finding an immediate contributor at this spot would be a win, with much of Philadelphia's salary structure tied up in Joel Embiid and Paul George, and cultivating depth behind them is likely a priority." [ESPN]
Okorie is an extremely dynamic offensive talent, and a darling of analytical models. Scouts are fond of him, too, including Brian Geisinger, who earlier this month told PhillyVoice that Okorie was "one of the most threatening and crafty playmakers in this draft cycle."
MORE: Asking an NBA Draft expert about Okorie's fit with the Sixers
Many experts have spent this cycle projecting centers for the Sixers as the organization ponders life without Joel Embiid in the future. But even with Embiid in Philadelphia, the Sixers need more stability behind him at the five. Kevin O'Connor landed on Veesar, arguing he could be more than just a backup center:
"Finding a center to play behind Joel Embiid needs to be prioritized. Embiid simply cannot be trusted to stay on the floor. Veesaar is an agile big with real shooting touch, connective playmaking, and baseline big skills with the ability to set screens and catch lobs. He also offers rim protection and is a locked-in help defender. He could even play next to Embiid. In all three of his collegiate seasons, he made a massive leap in production each year. The Sixers would need that ascent to continue." [Yahoo! Sports]
The point has been belabored by now: if a player proves capable of logging quality minutes at power forward and center, they will be immensely valuable to the Sixers, who need players capable of both fitting around Embiid and holding down the fort when he is absent.
MORE: All things NBA Draft, from trade concepts to prospects of note
Sam Vecenie has largely toggled between bigs for the Sixers in his mock drafts, and landed on Cenac on Monday:
"The 76ers need another big, and Cenac could potentially slide to the four at times if his feel for the game improves. But he is more of a project than some of the other players the 76ers could take. This is a very difficult team to mock right now, as sources around the league are still trying to figure out what new head of basketball operations Mike Gansey’s type will be." [The Athletic]
Cenac is unquestionably a tantalizing athlete given his stunning athletic prowess at his size. Most analysts agree with Vecenie that no team should be drafting him with any sort of ambitions of him contributing short-term value. He is a project, but one with a lot of theoretical upside. Whichever team drafts him will be asking its coaching staff to perform some strong developmental work.
MORE: Asking NBA Draft experts which prospect the Sixers should draft at No. 22
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