It’s an old cliché that nice guys finish last, but does the old saying apply to fantasy sports? Or has founding NSL member Ben Smith got what it takes to buck the trend and prove that good guys can finish on top.

Ben has taken the reins of the 76ers, a patient fan base with big expectations for the 2020 season. The franchise has been trusting the process, and now they’re ready to get a taste of success. Philly entered the draft with pick 24 which gave the franchise a quick turnaround of picks at the end of the first and early second round. Let’s have a look at the breakdown of their draft.  

Draft results

At 24 a number of high-end stars had been swiped from the board, leaving a plethora of upcoming talent ready for the picking and a few top-end, underrated guys falling to the back end of the first. Instead of joining the game of hungry, hungry hippos and going for the youth movement, Ben snapped up the best defensive big man in the draft at 24.

24- Rudy Gobert- Perennial DPOY candidate, league leader in blocks and top ten rebounder, Gobert offers Philly a defensive pillar to build around. Though he lacks the offensive polish and go-to scoring ability, this anchor holds down the defensive end and protects the paint better than anyone else in the game.

The turn, pick 37 would be an opportunity for Ben to find a scorer/ breakout candidate and he snapped up a guy who wasn’t on many radars (at the time) but had breakout star potential in spades.

37- Pascal Siakam- At the time of being picked, Siakam was the second option on the Championship Raptors team. His numbers were impressive while he was building his case for Most Improved in the NBA. After Leonard announced his desire to move to LA, this pick looked like a masterstroke as Siakam would become the first option on this underrated roster. Aside from being in a perfect situation to become a star in the NBA, Pascal also has the skill set and size of a two-way star. He attacks the rim relentlessly, can shoot the 3-ball and defends at the rim and on the perimeter. This will prove to be one of the picks of the draft.  

84- Kevin Knox- At 84, Ben jumped on board the youth train and took Knox. It would later prove to be a value/asset style pick up that he would flip for win-now pieces such as Hassan Whiteside and Bogdan Bogdanovic, as well as a number of picks in the 2019 draft.

97- Chris Paul- Ben’s 4^th pick was used to bring in CP3 which at 97 seems ridiculous value. Paul’s age, history of injury and contract size scared off a number of suiters, however there is no disputing his ability to play at a high level when on the court. Philly also seem to be the perfect fit for Paul as the other two members of their big 3 were (at the time of signing) not on Max deals meaning there was plenty of flexibility in Philly’s cap.

Later picks of note:

144- Nerlens Noel

157- Emmanuel Mudiay

204- Justin Patton

217- Troy Brown

264- Andre Igoudala

277- John Henson

Following the draft Ben was active on the trade front, accumulating a THREE first rounders (one he flipped for a future first) and a whopping FOUR second rounders to keep building for the future.

 

Above: All of Ben's picks from the 2019 draft. What a haul! 


Rookie Draft Results

Ben entered the draft with pick 14, 26 (traded for future first from Dallas), 29, 32, 35, 44 and 46!

With this slew of picks Ben targeted a number of potential role players and long-term project players with NBA star upside.

Pick 14- Luka Samanic- a big, bouncy near 7 footer, with potential to be a versatile PF/C in the modern game. He showed glimpses of talent in the preseason competition but will take time to earn consistent minutes in a stacked Spurs line up.  

Pick 29- Eric Paschall- Another big, touted as the next PJ Tucker. He’s already made an impact in the league and has earned regular minutes in the Warriors line up. Paschall looks good and should be a starter/role player for the majority of his career.  

Pick 32- Admiral Schofield- A big wing, solid and NBA ready. Hasn’t seen a heap of minutes but was touted as a high-character guy. Should be mature enough to fill minutes in a winning roster.

Pick 35- Louis King- I know very little about him but apparently is a wing on a Detroit roster that doesn’t have an option at this position.

Pick 44- Deividas Sirvydis- Clearly a Euro- Lithuanian. Plays Small Forward and is staying overseas in 2020. Long term prospect.

Pick 46- Yovel Zoosman- Another Euro- Israeli. Plays SG and is big for that position at 6”7. Will stay overseas and play in the Euroleague in 2020. Long term prospect.

In a way, stashing a number of long-term prospects was a clever strategy implemented by Ben because it means roster spots aren’t wasted and there’s an asset waiting for future years. Yes, on some of these picks Philly will be playing the long-game but it’s at zero detriment to the roster. We will know exactly how Ben went in this draft in about 3 years, but I can say that I was really high on Samanic, Paschall and Schofield in the lead up to the draft. I feel he’s found a sleeper or two with his blanketing strategy of the draft.

Final Roster

PG- Chris Paul

SG- Bogdan Bogdanovic

SF- Daniel House

PF- Pascal Siakam

C- Rudy Gobert

Bench

6^th Man- Hassan Whiteside

Andre Igoudala, Eric Paschall, Admiral Schofield, Luka Samanic, Deonte Burton, Troy Brown, Justin Patton and Melvin Frazer.

 

Predictions

Ben has assembled a talented roster. He’s been strategic in his building both in the short and long term. Philly look to be a playoff team right out of the blocks, provided that CP3 can stay on the court in the NBA. I like his defensive line up and you could almost argue it is one of the best defensive teams in the NSL. Offensively, Ben will need to unearth a scorer or two. Bogdanovic could take the role as second option behind Siakam, who is destined to become one of the upcoming stars of the league. Ben has also managed to retain all picks for the coming years, so they could be used to turn this from a project team into a contender or to continue to build behind 27 year old Gobert and 25 year old Siakam. The future looks bright in Philly.

Predicted record- 44-38