Bryan Colangelo On: Draft Lottery Results, Simmons

The Sixers were the big winners on Tuesday night, snagging the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery. Now that the exact order of the draft is locked in, Philadelphia has the daunting task of making the right call this June. Fresh off the announcement that he would have the top pick to work with, Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo spoke with members of the media regarding the upcoming draft. Hat tip to DraftExpress for transcribing the session, along with a number of other team representatives’ thoughts on the draft lottery results. Here are some of the highlights from Colangelo’s Tuesday night chat with reporters:

On where the team is at regarding its pre-draft player evaluations:

“We’ve had a chance to already meet with Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn among the top candidates. There are several others, Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield and several others that we’ve met with. Ben Simmons did not attend Chicago, so we did not have a chance for that to occur. I do plan on a trip to Cleveland soon, and a couple of these guys will obviously be coming into Philadelphia for visits in our home gym. A lot of work to do over the next 40 days or so. There’s a lo to do and we have our sleeves rolled up.”

On when he expects to make his call on who the team will select at No. 1 overall:

We may decide before [draft night], but we’re certainly not going to announce it. Again, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. Physical testing, individual conversations with these two or three or four prospects. And I will tell you, we are going to continue to do out due diligence for the draft. We’re going to visit all the players. They are going to visit us. There are some draft workouts to be held. Don’t forget, we’ve got No. 24 and No. 26 in this draft as well. A lot of things could be in play. We need to determine what the best course of action is. But, the good news is, you’ve got resources in place. You’ve got the tools now clearly defined — one, 24 and 26. We’ve got those good young, developing players that continue to develop even as we speak today in our gym in Philadelphia.

On if he is committed to retaining the No. 1 overall pick:

It’s pretty obvious the answer is yes [to keeping it]. A lot of people jumped on the notion that we talked about looking at all alternatives as being open to moving the pick. I think, again, you have to look at every single option and everything in front of you. But, the bottom line is, now that we’re sitting in the number one position, it changes the dynamic. I think it was more in reference to, what would happen if we ended up with two top five picks, if there was maybe a decision to move one of those. It’s highly unlikely that anything is done with the number one pick except selecting the player.

On what stands out about former LSU forward Ben Simmons:

“When you analyze the top two prospects, as far as all the reports go and the media speculation, you’ve got two guys [Simmons and Ingram] that are very talented players but very different players. One who is a ball-handling four, who actually would be in a position to initiate the offense. Very versatile. Plays multiple positions. He could actually play some three, some four and probably some five in some situations the way the league is playing right now. But, again, the notion that he’s a ball-handling four puts him in a unique position with our team, to be a distributor, etc. As yo look at Brandon Ingram, more of a shooter, a silky smooth small forward type. Probably can play multiple positions as well. I think you have to look at his versatility. But, the one thing that stands out is his ability to shoot the basketball, above all else. There is obviously two very interesting candidates there.”

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