Thanks to another deal with the Thunder, one you can spend plenty of time arguing over on this very blog, the Sixers are now in control of the Houston Rockets’ first-round pick in this upcoming draft. So, every week we’ll be checking in on the Rockets to see how they’re doing and where the Sixers’ pick might fall as a result.
That’s far from set in stone, as the Rockets are just a half game up over the Los Angeles Lakers and only two games up in the loss column over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the West. In terms of league-wide standings for draft order, the Cleveland Cavaliers are right in that bunch as well with a 34-21 record.
With how bunched up the middle of the pack is, there could be a ton of movement between now and the end of the regular season and a Houston slump to help the Sixers out is not impossible.
The Sixers won’t be counting ping pong balls in the lottery like last year. Their process to acquire this Rockets pick may come back to bite them, but at the same time, they might have picked the perfect team for their fans to hate-watch for the rest of the regular season.