The 5 Best Prospects Still Available for the Sixers with the 35th Pick
It’s Mike Levin’s favorite day of the year.
Day Two of the NBA draft approaches, and though the biggest question about the Sixers’ draft has been answered with their selection of V.J. Edgecombe as the No. 3 overall pick last night, they still have another decision to make in the No. 35 spot tonight.
Here’s the five players still on the board who they should be looking at.
1. Rasheer Fleming (Forward, Saint Joseph’s)
Height w/o Shoes: 6-8 ¼ inches
Weight: 232.4 pounds
Wingspan: 7-5 ¼ inches
Age: 20.9 years-old
Of all the names still on the board for Thursday, Fleming’s might be the most surprising. He was ranked 25th overall on the Rookie Scale consensus big board that pulls in draft rankings from a wide variety of sources, and has prototypical NBA size and skills with a +9 wingspan and a 39% mark on threes last season at St. Joe’s.
He’s not the most fluid mover, especially on offense where he’s more of a “point and shoot” driver who only attacks closeouts in the initial direction he started from, but it’s very rare for someone this mobile and tall with long arms and a good shooting stroke to still be available on day two. It’s highly likely one of Minnesota, Boston or Charlotte scoop Fleming up before the Sixers can take a crack at it with pick 35, but if name still isn’t called by then, the Sixers should sprint the card to the floor as fast as they can.
2. Adou Thiero (Forward, Arkansas)
Height w/o Shoes: 6-6 ¼ inches
Weight: 218.4 pounds
Wingspan: 7-0
Age: 21.1 years-old
The Sixers need someone who can do the dirty work on defense that is required of a modern 4 in the NBA, while also bringing connective skills for their multiple superstar talents on offense.
Enter Thiero, a twitchy and explosive wing who played for John Calipari at both Kentucky and Arkansas. He consistently makes winning plays on both ends of the floor, and though not quite as tall as one would want an NBA power forward to be, Thiero can play up a position due to his incredible vertical bounce and high level of activity. His only real major weaknesses are his three-point shooting (25.6% last season) and lack of a handle, but those aren’t as big of a setback when looking for positive role players in the draft’s second round.
3. Johni Broome (Forward, Auburn)
Height w/o Shoes: 6-9 ¼ inches
Weight: 249.4 pounds
Wingspan: 7-0 ¼ inches
Age: 22.9 years-old
Though his raw athletic attributes leave a bit to be desired, few have proven as much as Broome, who won the 2024-25 SEC Player of the Year and just barely lost out on the Naismith Player of the Year award to Cooper Flagg.
The lefty big often scored on offense through post-ups and pick-and-pop threes (with the occasional roll into floater range mixed in) while also anchoring Auburn’s defense through his raw strength and unmatched hand accuracy as a rim protector. Questions about whether he’s mobile enough to play the 4 in the NBA are reasonable, but given how insanely productive he was over the last two seasons of college basketball, it’s hard to believe he couldn’t craft a contributing role with the Sixers if given the chance.
4. Noah Penda (Forward, Le Mans Sarthe Basket)
Height w/o Shoes: 6-7 ¼ inches
Weight: 241.8 pounds
Wingspan: 6-11 ½ inches
Age: 20.5 years-old
Penda is a French forward with NBA-size and remarkably impressive movement skills who’s already contributed positively to a professional basketball team’s defense as a 19 year-old. His shooting leaves a bit to be desired (30.4% from three on 3.2 attempts per game while also shooting 69.3% on free throws), but his defensive success should get him on the floor early in his career and give him avenues toward improving his offense to the point it reaches the level of an NBA rotation player.
With his young age and athletic tools, Penda is one of the highest upside bets the Sixers could make with the 35th pick in the draft.
5. Alex Toohey (Forward, Sydney Kings)
Height w/o Shoes: 6-7 ¾ inches
Weight: 222.8 pounds
Wingspan: 6-10 ¾ inches
Age: 20.1 years-old
Honorable mention here goes to Florida State’s Jamir Watkins, who just barely loses out to Toohey here due to the latter being nearly three inches taller and nearly three years younger.
Toohey is a ferocious attacker in transition, getting out and running at the turn of a possession better than almost any player in the draft class, and he brings an intriguing set of on-ball creation skills rarely seen in a second-round wing. Defensively, while not a red flag, he isn’t quite as potent or impactful as the four players listed above, and it can be a little harder to envision a world where he’s playing 4 for the Sixers.
Still, for the 35th overall pick in the draft, Toohey would immediately inject a lot of energy and driving skill into any Sixers’ lineup.
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.
“The Danny” is brought to you by the Official Realtor Of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Love the anaylsis. I’d add Maxime Raynaud (C/PF) Stanford as imy top choice for pick 35. Ready to contribute right away. Gets better every year. Two way player. Team first, high work ethic, high energy. Positive vibes. Can shoot from 3, rebounds at both ends. Second best player in the acc behind Cooper Flagg.
Nailed It.
And at least one NBA GM shared your enthusiasm for Queen…