Today is the day! And I’ll be honest, it’s a day Im not really prepared for. I don’t know, maybe it was all the winning the 76ers did this season, but the draft snuck up on me HARD this year.

I usually spend this time of the year pouring over mock drafts, but I think the Sixers lack of a top three pick led me to focus more on all the drama of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and the Lakers.

The Sixers need another star, the playoffs made that abundantly clear. While it’d be great to add one of the top names in free agency, that’s looking less and less likely with each passing day. Trading for another star would be nice, but any trade to get the caliber of player the Sixers are looking for would almost certainly cost the team Markelle Fultz and that just feels like more of a lateral move than an upgrade to me.

Still, the Sixers hold the tenth pick in a fairly decent draft class. There’s a lot of different ways this draft could play out, but the Sixers have a good chance of lucking into a player with star upside.

Here are some names I’d keep an eye on during tonight’s lottery:

If They Fall

Trae Young

I honestly didn’t see it coming at all, and I’m still not sure I entirely believe it, but I think I want the Sixers to take Young at ten more than anyone else.

Young is undersized for a point guard at 6’2 with a 6’2 wingspan, but he is an offensive machine. He led the nation in scoring and assists averaging 27 points and about 9 assists per game while shooting 36% from beyond the arc on a whopping ten threes per game. He can hit from anywhere on the court, work off the dribble, create for his teammates, play in the pick and roll, and play off ball as well. All too often the Sixers’ offense went stagnant during the playoffs because they lacked the type of players who could create offense for themselves and work off the dribble, Young would solve that issue.

The main concern with Young is his defense. His size doesn’t project well for the NBA, but I think his feisty nature will at least make things difficult for opposing guards, especially when he isn’t his entire team’s offense. Im curious to see how Markelle Fultz and Young fit alongside each other, but I think this is a situation where you take the guy and figure it out later.

Wendell Carter

While there have been rumors of Trae Young falling down draft boards, the same can’t be said for Wendell Carter. The Duke product seems like a near lock to go with the top six picks, but if he were to fall to the Sixers, they should definitely give him a good long look.

The most frequent comparison I hear for Carter is Al Horford, and I get it. Carter isn’t the most athletically gifted, but his game is sound and what he lacks in athleticism he more than makes up in versatility. With a developing jump shot, Carter’s capable of doing everything that’s asked of a modern day big, the only question is to what extent. There’s a strong belief that Carter was being held back at Duke due to his star studded supporting cast, which means the best is still yet to come.

Joel Embiid may have shown some promising signs in terms of durability last season, but getting a quality insurance policy for the Cameroonian big is never the worst idea. Playing Carter in a similar role as Amir Johnson would be a huge upgrade in both the short term and long term.

Solid Value

Mikal Bridges

I don’t think there’s a more obvious pick in the draft. Bridges is a long armed wing who projects to be the draft’s best three and D guy. He’s a two time national champion with Villanova, he’s a great locker room presence, and his mom works in the Sixers HR office. If Bridges is there, he’s probably the pick.

With that said, there is the off chance he isn’t there and honestly, that wouldn’t be the worst thing. I’ve been hot for Bridges for the past few months, but I worry about how much he can improve this team. He can guard multiple positions and shot 42% from three last season, but he doesn’t do much else outside of that. As much as I love Robert Covington, Bridges has too much Covington in his game for my liking. Roco looked like a mess in the playoffs because he couldn’t create any offense for himself and as a result the Sixers suffered. I would fell much better about selecting Bridges if the Sixers already had someone who could create for themselves on the wing, but they don’t.

Bridges is a safe prospect with one of the highest floors in this class, but he isn’t something the Sixers don’t already have.

Kevin Knox

Kevin Knox is one of the most intriguing options to me in this year’s draft class. Still just 18 years old, Knox is the youngest player in this draft class and he’s coming off a season in which he was the go to option at Kentucky. While Knox and Kentucky may not have had the best season, this Wildcat’s team was the youngest John Calipari’s ever coached. I believe there’s still a lot of untapped upside to Knox and better team might be able to unlock.

Knox is physically gifted at 6’9 with 6’11 arms. He was a threat on the catch and shoot and played well in the half court and in transition. He has the size to get to the net and the athleticism to play above it. He has a large frame, and once he adds more muscle, he could become a bully on the wing. He’s a solid rebounder and projects to be a better defender than he was at Kentucky, but Knox’s upside is all offense. I think the Sixers are a team that could hide most of his faults well, leaving him to just worry about getting buckets.

Zhaire Smith

If there’s a Donovan Mitchell in this year’s draft class, my money’s on Zhaire Smith. I don’t think there’s anyone in this draft as athletically gifted as Smith. He’s a little small at 6’4 199lb, but he lived above the rim at Texas Tech. Smith’s offensive game is a little limited to catch and shoots, lobs and dunks, but real strength as of now is on the defensive end. Smith in blindingly fast with a 6’10 wingspan, perfect for guarding multiple positions and clogging up passing lanes.

Smith just turned 19, which means there is a great deal of upside to the uber athletic two guard. Still, I worry about his lack of handles and low free throw percentage. The thought of Smith and Ben Simmons dunking on everyone in the league is fun, but it would also make the Sixers very one dimensional on offense.

Worth the Reach

Kevin Huerter

Kevin Huerter is the best three point shooter in this class. He’s long with a clean shooting stroke and can hit from anywhere on the floor. He doesn’t have the same kind of in the gym range as Trae Young, but he’s a much smarter and consistent shooter. The thing that stood out the most to me with Huerter was how comfortable he looked with the ball in his hands. He was more than capable of creating offense for himself of the dribble and showed handles that were much better than what I was expecting. Huerter has been steadily rising since putting on a show at the combine, I wouldn’t be too mad if that rise stopped at the tenth pick.

Lonnie Walker

Lonnie Walker was a popular pick for the Sixers, and still could be in play for the tenth pick, but he seems to be sliding a but in recent weeks. Walker has star caliber size and athleticism. He was the go-to guy at Miami last season, but to very mixed results. He’s got a quality shot and is strong enough to finish around the rim, but does not play very well off ball. I question how well he can produce when he isn’t the go-to guy in an offense. Also, he has dumb hair.

Miles Bridges

Miles Bridges projects to be an explosive stretch four in the NBA. He may not have shown much growth between his freshman and sophomore seasons, but his strengths are very well documented. Bridges struggled switching between both forward spots in college, but a permanent move to power forward should be for the best. Bridges has the quickness to get by bigger, more slow footed fours and has the three point shot to stretch the floor for other bigs. He may not have the most upside, but you take Bridges with an understanding of what he’s good at and you live with the weaknesses. A power forward tandem of Dario Saric and Miles Bridges is enough for me to feel comfortable with a low upside reach at ten.