The Philadelphia 76ers have informed Ben Simmons that they will select him with the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, according to multiple reports.
This morning Philadelphia 76ers informed camp of Ben Simmons he would be taken No. 1 in NBA Draft, league sources tell @clevelanddotcom.
– Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 21, 2016
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Two days before the Draft, the 6-foot-10 Australian worked out for the Sixers on Tuesday.
“[We had] Ben Simmons come in and work out in front of our coaches and have a chance to also be here in front of [ownership],” Sixers President and GM Bryan Colangelo told Philadelpia reporters.
“It was important for us and we were excited to be able to get the opportunity.”
Bryan Colangelo on Ben Simmons pic.twitter.com/edeZanPKh4
– Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) June 21, 2016
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The development is not surprising as most mock drafts have the former LSU forward going No. 1 to the Sixers, with former Duke forward Brandon Ingram going No. 2 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Assuming they keep Simmons — who averaged 19.2 points and 11.8 rebounds at LSU last season — the Sixers will now have even more of a glut of bigs and forwards with Simmons, Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and possibly Dario Saric.
That has fueled a number of reports that the franchise will trade either Okafor or Noel to the Boston Celtics (who need a big man) for the rights to the No. 3 pick, where the Sixers could select former Providence point guard Kris Dunn, a native of New London, Conn.
Sixers coach Brett Brown said the night of the Draft Lottery that his team needed to improve its backcourt. The team currently has two point guards under contract in T.J. McConnell and Kendall Marshall, and could use an upgrade at that position.
The Sixers, who also own the No. 24 and 26 picks, worked out several floor generals on Tuesday, including former Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis, former Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins and former Oregon State point guard Gary Payton II on Tuesday.
DraftExpress.com currently has them taking former Notre Dame point guard Demetrius Jackson at No. 24, and former Florida State shooting guard Malik Beasley at No. 26.
Meantime, Brown is familiar with Simmons, having coached two Australian pro teams and the Aussie men’s national team. He lived in Australia for 17 years.
“I coached Ben’s father a long time ago, I’ve known Ben since he was born,” Brown said the night of the Lottery. “I’ve known his family since the late 80s so just having that knowledge of where he was raised and understanding the culture…There are lots of different connections that I think make me better informed.
“He obviously is an extremely talented young man and I think that he comes from great stock with his family.”
Simmons is considered a better rebounder and more of a facilitator than Ingram, who is the better shooter and better defender at this point.
“Everybody’s looking for the elusive legitimate two-way players,” Brown said. “We feel like we have a great stockpile of NBA bigs and even some 4/3 men like Dario Saric or a Jerami Grant type.”
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