The 2025 NBA draft is continuing to quickly approach and the Philadelphia 76ers will have a lot of options to turn to with the No. 3 pick. The Sixers will have their choice of players such as Ace Bailey of Rutgers, VJ Edgecombe of Baylor, Kon Knueppel of Duke, and others.

The Sixers know they need some youth on this roster. The 2024-25 season was a disaster–mainly due to injuries–but also because Philadelphia was missing quality young players who can step in and produce when the time is called. President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey knows this and he is looking to correct the roster to get the Sixers back on the path to a title.

A mock draft performed by The Ringer has the Sixers selecting Texas product Tre Johnson with the No. 3 pick:

The Sixers are one of the tougher teams to read in this draft. They could move the pick for an established veteran, but the list of potential suitors is slim considering their specific need (perimeter size and switchability) and how much their roster is going to cost soon. At the end of the day, they could wind up in the same place as the other two teams at the top of the draft: Don’t hit at 19, miraculously get blackjack, and then turn around and drop your winnings into one of those Buffalo slot machines. Use this special opportunity to take a swing at a special talent. Which is why I think Johnson could be the move here. The chatter on Tre coming out of the draft combine was very positive, softening some of the concerns about needing the ball in his hands and questionable decision-making. The bottom line is that his scoring talent is immense, and his shooting should slot into whatever timeline Morey and Co. have in mind.

Johnson averaged 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists as a freshman for the Longhorns while shooting 39.7% from deep. The Texas guard is what the kids would call a “pure hooper”. He is focused on putting the ball in the basket and he does it at such a high rate that he has the potential to be one of those high volume, microwave scorers at the next level. Bench scoring is paramount in today’s league and Johnson would certainly help the Sixers in that department.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 2025 NBA mock draft: Sixers select Tre Johnson with the No. 3 pick