The lottery has spoken as the Philadelphia 76ers will have the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. After a disastrous 24-58 season, the Sixers needed a silver lining and they got it by jumping up two spots in the lottery from No. 5 to No. 3 as they look to add more young pieces to the roster.
With that selection, the Sixers will have plenty of options to choose from. This is a deep draft rich with talent all over the board. Philadelphia will have to do its due diligence on a lot of the prospects, but the Sixers should be in good shape with whoever they select due who is featured in this draft.
A mock draft put together by ESPN has the Sixers selecting Rutgers star Ace Bailey with the No. 3 overall pick:
Bailey has been more polarizing for scouts than a typical top-five pick, displaying flashes of scoring upside at Rutgers while still at an early stage of his development in other key areas. Lottery teams are eager to get a feel for him in the predraft process, including interviews, to understand how far away he is from contributing positively on an NBA floor.
Wings with Bailey’s combination of size, physical skill and shooting prowess are rare. That coveted archetype has kept his stock largely steady despite his inconsistencies as a decision-maker, ball handler and defender. Some teams are concerned with the risk attached in those areas, but his scoring talent has tantalizing appeal for front offices in search of star power.
The Sixers will have to weigh their options, but Bailey has a lot of talent. He averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in the 2024-25 season with the Scarlet Knights while shooting 46% from the floor and 34.6% from deep. There are a lot of questions about his game, especially his ball-handling and shooting, but he brings a lot of athleticism and offensive talent to the table. One has to believe coach Nick Nurse can make it work.