Rewinding the clock back to 2019, the Philadelphia 76ers were coming off one of the most gut-wrenching semifinal losses one can think of when they fell in Game 7 to the Toronto Raptors when Kawhi Leonard’s miracle shot dropped at the buzzer. The goal for the Sixers was to continue adding to the roster.
Holding the No. 24 pick in that draft, the Sixers moved up to No. 20 in a deal with the Boston Celtics and selected athletic wing player Matisse Thybulle. During his time with the Sixers, Thybulle provided some elite defense on the perimeter, but was unable to morph into a consistent 3-point shooter and he was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers at the 2023 deadline.
In a complete re-draft of 2019 put together by HoopsHype, the Sixers stay at No. 24 and select big man Goga Bitadze:
Big man Goga Bitadze has done a good job of developing since getting to Orlando, as the bruising center is averaging 6.2 points and 5.7 rebounds on 60.8 percent shooting. He hasn’t been a huge find or anything in the first round of the 2019 draft but he’s been a solid role player of late, and it’s hard to ask for much more than from a No. 18 pick in a draft class.
Bitadze would have been a solid backup at the time to Joel Embiid. He is a rough and tough, physical center, and the Sixers could have used a bruiser to provide a change of pace off the bench. He is somebody who can make a difference off the bench at the center spot as well.