It’s time to go back in time and look at the draft history of the Philadelphia 76ers. There have been a number of selections made by this franchise and now is the time to look at some of those moves and see who they could have picked on those specific nights.
The Sixers held the No. 16 pick in the 2008 NBA draft following a surprise run to the playoffs. With that pick, they chose Florida big man Marreese Speights. After a brief run in the City of Brotherly Love, Speights built a reputation of being an instant offense player off the bench for teams and earned the nickname “Mo Buckets” while with the Golden State Warriors.
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However, the Sixers probably could have picked somebody a bit more productive. A 2008 re-draft put together by HoopsHype has Philadelphia selecting Mario Chalmers 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.
Chalmers spent nine seasons in the NBA, eight of them with the Miami Heat, and averaged 8.9 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 35.1% from deep. He was an integral part of two championship teams with the Heat. He would have been a key backup guard for Philadelphia at that time.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Re-drafting Philadelphia 76ers selection from the 2008 NBA draft