3 Forwards the Sixers Should Target With Their Second-Round Draft Pick
A very Mike-coded article from The Danny.
It’s pretty clear what the Sixers will need in the NBA Draft.
Two of the franchise cornerstones are small guards under the age of 25 (and potentially a third depending on whether Quentin Grimes stays in town), and the team’s structure has been based around a center in Joel Embiid since 2017. Even barring the worst-case scenarios for Embiid’s health, he’s still under contract through 2029 – not to mention, the Sixers just drafted a backup center option in Adem Bona, and will likely still roster Andre Drummond entering the next season.
All that to say — this team is probably going to prioritize wings and forwards in this upcoming draft. If you can play the 3 or the 4 in the NBA, best believe the Sixers will be taking a look at you come June. Vaulting up to the number one overall pick and selecting Cooper Flagg is obviously the best solution, but what if that plan doesn’t come to pass? There are other wing options in the top six in Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe (who might have their own articles on this site in the coming month), but past them the projected top picks are filled with bigs and guards.
However, while the Sixers keeping a top-six pick still depends on the fateful day of May 12, the 35th overall pick of the draft is in their possession no matter what, as the Sixers received both Quentin Grimes and re-possession of their second-round pick in exchange for Caleb Martin at the trade deadline. Grimes for Martin was already a good trade, and it has the potential to get even sweeter with this year’s class having several intriguing forward bets who could be available in the early second round two months from now.
Here are three different forwards from the college ranks the Sixers should have their eye on as the draft approaches:
Adou Thiero — Arkansas
After two years at Kentucky, Thiero followed coach John Calipari to Arkansas in 2024 and saw a massive jump in his offensive production that shot him up draft boards. However, it’s Thiero’s defense that makes him a truly desirable prospect, as the Razorback wing is a gifted athlete, both in lateral quickness and vertical prowess, and uses both to great effect on that end of the floor.
Thiero profiles more as a 3 than as a 4, as he’s listed at 6-foot-8 by Arkansas’s team website, but only at 6-foot-6 by databases like BartTorvik and CBB Reference, and whether or not his shooting stroke develops is the biggest question he’ll face entering the NBA.
Over three college seasons, Thiero shot just 28.4% from three on 74 attempts. Likewise, his 71.1% mark on 263 career free throw attempts isn’t disastrous, but also doesn’t indicate stellar shooting touch. Right now his best offensive skill might be his passing acumen, as Thiero has flashed good reads both as an off-ball connector and in his limited pick and roll opportunities.
Hitting open threes and capably attacking off the dribble is practically necessary to be a wing in the NBA, but Thiero’s ability to read the floor and make smart decisions should help him be viable on that end of the floor while racking up great positive value on the defensive end. And as MOC wrote last week, he’d certainly help the Sixers fill the massive need they have more better size and athleticism on the roster.
Rasheer Fleming — St. Joe’s
It’s worth noting that Fleming falling out of the first round is a seemingly less likely proposition than Thiero based on recently published mock drafts. The 6-foot-9 wing out of St. Joe’s was on draft radars entering the 2024-25 season due to his impressive physical traits, and has only improved his standing following a massive shooting leap in his junior season.
Fleming shot 29.4% and 32.7% from three during his first two college seasons before shooting 39% on 4.5 three-point attempts per game this past year. Not only that, but the versatility and difficulty of Fleming’s attempts improved, as he became a de facto movement shooter in St. Joe’s offense.
Fleming is also an absolute monster on the glass, finishing his junior season with a 22.8 DREB% and averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. Given he’s 6-foot-9 with a rumored 7-foot-5 wingspan, it makes sense that he snares just about every loose ball that comes his way.
He projects as a valuable play finisher at the next level. Per Bart Torvik, Fleming was the only player in all of college basketball last season to finish with more than 40 dunks and more than 50 made threes. He knows how to put the ball in the basket.
Understandably, Fleming’s movement skills are a tad worse than someone like Thiero’s due to how much larger he is. The St. Joe’s product isn’t slow in a straight line, but his lateral quickness and change of direction aren’t always up to snuff. He’s what I’d call a “point-and-shoot driver”. Whatever direction he’s initially headed toward when he puts the ball on the floor is where he’s going to end up, and that predictability as a mover can be inhibiting on both offense and defense at the NBA level.
Still, it’s more of a nitpick on Fleming’s tape than any sort of red flag. At the end of the day, he posted a 64 TS% for an entire season of college hoops while having physical traits that far surpassed his peers, making him an extremely worthy target for the Sixers.
Darrion Williams — Texas Tech
Just going by mainstream boards, Williams is the most likely to still be available for the Sixers at pick 35 (given, that’s if he stays in the draft altogether instead of withdrawing and returning to college before the June 15 deadline).
Williams is a big-bodied forward, listed at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, and combines his strength with a well-developed handle and a versatile offensive skillset. At Texas Tech, he scored out of everything from post-ups and pick and rolls, to isolations for pull-up threes.
He only shot 34% from three this past season for the Red Raiders, though he made up for it with good volume (4.1 attempts per game) and decent variety (more than 25% of his attempts came off the dribble). Williams doesn’t have the quick twitch burst of Thiero, nor the sheer height and length of Fleming, but he makes up for it with just how refined his game is in a halfcourt offensive setting after three seasons of college ball.
His passing numbers are the best of the trio, having finished his junior season at Texas Tech with a near 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He can be trusted to create good results when given an opportunity with the ball.
Texas Tech made a run all the way to the Elite Eight and finished in the top 10 of KenPom ratings, and Williams was one of the biggest drivers behind their massive success. If he decides that he’s ready to make the leap to the next level, he’d be a great fit for the Sixers with the 35th overall pick.
Daniel Olinger is a writer for the Rights To Ricky Sanchez, and author of “The Danny” column, even though he refuses to be called that in person. He can be followed on X @dan_olinger.
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