In case you hadn't noticed, the Sixers have shown an affinity for selecting big men in the first round of the NBA draft in recent years.
With such a glut of centers and power forwards on the current roster, they wouldn't possibly go that route again when on the clock June 22, right?
Don't rule it out.
Florida State product Jonathan Isaac is the top PF prospect on draft boards. His former head coach thinks Isaac's name will be called early on draft night (perhaps even to the Sixers) mainly because of the one-and-done's ability to adapt.
"There's no question that Jonathan is one of the rare guys that I've coached over the years to say, 'Coach, what do you need me to do?'" FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton said via phone Monday on CSN's Philly Sports Talk. "From game to game, his role changed in relation to what we needed. I think he's a guy that kind of thinks more like a coach sometimes than really a lot of young guys would think because he has that level of maturity.
"I think he's going to be a great fit wherever he goes because he's a great teammate and he has all those intangible skills — dribble, pass, shoot, decision making. And even though he's slender, he's a lot stronger than he looks."
If you've watched Isaac play, you know Hamilton isn't just pumping up one of his guys. While Isaac's numbers won't wow anyone (12.0 points, 7.8 rebounds). That's mainly because he deferred to his veteran teammates, but the lanky freshman was still able to impact the game on both ends of the floor every night to help lead the Seminoles to a 26-9 record and NCAA Tournament berth.
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"On our basketball team, he only averaged 12 points a game. He made all the big shots we needed him to, but he probably accounted for about 35 points per game because of his IQ," Hamilton said. "He has no problem making the pass to the guy who gets the assist. He makes great decisions. He was really my go-to guy in a lot of ways other than maybe having to be the guy who scores the points. He was the guy who was so instrumental in the success we had last year. He always came through with big rebounds, big blocked shots, the timely assists, getting the steal, catching the lobs.
"He has so many intangible things that he brings to the table and he is not one-dimensional. A lot of guys get recognition because they do a lot of scoring, but Jonathan is a stat stuffer from all aspects."
That certainly sounds like a player the Sixers could use. Whether the Sixers would use the No. 3 pick on Isaac or trade down to select him remains to be seen (see the case for Isaac to the Sixers).
Either way, adding a young player with such a versatile skill set that continues to get bigger and better to Sixers' group can only help speed up "the process."
"There's no question that his best basketball is ahead of him," Hamilton said. "You have to take into consideration he was 6-3. Now he's 6-10, 6-10½. Actually, I think he's closer to 6-11 than he is 6-10. But he has that whole framework of a guy who is going to continue keep getting better and better and better."