The Philadelphia 76ers held the No. 16 pick in the 2008 NBA draft after a surprise run to the playoffs and they were able to land Mo Speights for the bench unit. A big man out of Florida, Speights gave the Sixers a boost off the bench and was somebody Philadelphia could count on.
In a re-draft of that draft done by HoopsHype, the Sixers are selecting 2-time NBA champion Mario Chalmers with that No. 16 pick. Chalmers was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Timberwolves and was then sent to the Miami Heat. He spent nine seasons in the league with the Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies.
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HoopsHype on the Chalmers pick at No. 16:
After winning a national title at Kansas, beating Rose’s Memphis team in the championship game, Mario Chalmers was drafted in the second round by the Heat, where he went on to have a solid career as a point guard who could play off the ball, rack up steals and knock down open threes.
Over his nine seasons in the league, Chalmers averaged 8.9 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 35.1% from deep. He was a starter on Miami’s title teams in 2012 and 2013 and helped make the finals in 2011 and 2014 as well.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: NBA draft: Sixers take Mario Chalmers at No. 16 in a re-draft of 2008