With the 16th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Nikola Vucevic, center out of USC.
From our pre-draft predictions: Nikola Vucevic, C, USC:
An
enticing prospect for the Sixers namely due to his height—at about
seven feet with a nine-and-a-half-foot standing reach, Vucevic is probably the
longest player in an undersized draft, and of course, the Sixers need
big guys more than just about anything else. Vucevic is a solid player
on both ends of the court, showing a nice touch around the basket and
averaging a block-and-a-half per game in his Junior season at USC. The
main drawback with him, though, is his athleticism—his vertical leap has
been measured as being worse than a good deal of guards in the draft
class, and his lateral foot-speed has been questioned, two qualities
which set off red flags for the guy being a potential stiff. He might
still be worth a dice-roll for a team that occasionally played Thaddeus
Young at center last year, but the lack of athleticism hardly makes him a
natural fit for a team whose identity is centered largely around young
legs.
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