The Philadelphia 76ers could have had the most dominant duo in NBA history with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Worst Draft Mistakes In Philadelphia 76ers History
Credit: Fadeaway World
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. Making their debut in the 1949-50 season as the Syracuse Nationals, the Sixers are in their 74th year of existence in 2022-23. The team has won 3 NBA championships and has been home to some of the biggest legends in NBA history. Half Of Famers such as Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, and current superstar Joel Embiid have all spent a considerable amount of time in the City Of Brotherly Love. Today is not about the ones who made names for themselves during their time in Philly.
That’s right Sixers fans, look away as we continue the NBA Draft mistakes series with your beloved team. As always, I understand that different selections in the draft could mean many different outcomes. This will be a breakdown of each of Philadelphia’s draft mistakes based on how the players they selected and didn’t select careers actually played out. Much like most NBA teams, the 76ers have missed out on superstars, MVPs, and NBA champions. What did they see that others didn’t or vice versa? The answers will intrigue you.
These are the worst NBA draft mistakes in the Philadelphia 76ers' history.
Len Chappell (1962 NBA Draft) - 5th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: John Havlicek - 9th Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
The Sixers' first draft mistake goes back to 1962 when they selected Len Chappell with the 5th overall pick. Chappelle played his rookie season with the Nationals and 1 game the following season with Philadelphia before being shipped off to the Knicks and becoming an All-Star with New York. That would be the lone All-Star season of Chappell’s career as he bounced around from team to team calling 8 other cities home in his 10 NBA seasons. The best stretch of games Chappell ever had were his 78 games with the Knicks in 1964 when he averaged 17.3 PPG and 9.8 RPG.
Just 4 picks later, the Boston Celtics selected John Havlicek out of Ohio State. Even as a young man trying to crack the Celtics' legendary lineup, it was clear that Hondo had a bright future in the NBA. Havlicek would help Boston win 8 NBA championships during his 16 seasons with the team. He was the MVP of the 1974 NBA Finals and named an All-Star 13 seasons in a row from 1966 through 1978. He was named to 11 All-NBA Teams and 8 All-Defensive Teams as one of the best two-way players in basketball. From 1967 through 1974, considered to be his peak, Havlicek averaged 23.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.0 APG, and 1.3 SPG.
Terry Furlow (1976 NBA Draft) - 12th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Alex English - 23rd Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
To be fair, 21 other teams missed out on Alex English’s torrid scoring in the 1976 NBA Draft but the 76ers were one of them. With the 12th overall selection, they decided on Terry Furlow who was a 6’4’’ shooting guard out of Michigan State. Furlow would play just 32 games for the 76ers during his rookie season averaging 2.6 PPG and 1.2 RPG. He would be traded that offseason for 2 first-round draft picks. Furlow would last just 3 more seasons with 3 different teams and retire in 1980 at age 25.
With the 23rd pick, the Milwaukee Bucks would select Alex English out of South Carolina. Now, English would play only 2 seasons in Milwaukee before being shipped to Indiana with the Pacers. English would begin to show flashes of his incoming greatness but nothing compared to what was to come. In 1980, English would be shipped to Denver where he became a legend. English would become the most prolific scorer of the 80s winning a scoring title in 1983 and making 8 straight All-Star Games from 1982 through 1989. Of all the players in the 1976 draft class, English ranks 3rd in win shares behind only Robert Parish and Adrian Dantley.
Chris Welp (1987 NBA Draft) - 16th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Mark Jackson - 18th Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
This draft mistake from the 76ers came later in the first round of the draft but it was a mistake nonetheless. The 76ers held the 16th pick in the 1987 draft and with it, they decided to select 7’0’’ center Chris Welp out of Washington by way of Germany. Welp would play 2 seasons with the Sixers with his 4.8 PPG and 2.4 RPG during his rookie campaign being career-highs. Welp was then traded during the 1989 offseason for Johnny Dawkins and Jay Vincent. Welp played one more season with the Spurs and Warriors in 1990 before retiring at the age of 26.
If you look at Mark Jackson’s career numbers, it will not tell you the whole story of his impact on the court. Jackson was selected by the Knicks 2 spots after Welp was taken by Philly and immediately, Jackson made an impact. In his rookie season, Jackson averaged 13.6 PPG and 10.6 APG in 80 starts for the Knicks. The following year, Jackson was named an All-Star with 16.9 PPG, 8.6 APG, and 1.9 SPG. Jackson’s floor control and defense made him one of the more complete point guards in basketball at the time. He would go on to have a solid career with the Pacers as well, leading the NBA in assists in 1997 with 11.4 APG. Jackson may not be a Hall Of Famer but he sure would have been more helpful than Welp was.
Charles Smith (1988 NBA Draft) - 3rd Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Mitch Richmond - 5th Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
With the 3rd overall pick in 1988, the sixers selected Charles Smith and immediately traded him for the services of Hersey Hawkins. Now, Hawkins became an All-Star one time and holds the most win shares of anyone in the 1988 draft class so it wasn’t all bad for Philly in this one. As for Smith, he would have a sold 8-year career that saw him play for the Clippers, Knicks, and Spurs. He was a 20.0 PPG scorer early on with Los Angeles but trickled off by his 5th season in the NBA. Smith finished with career averages of 14.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG.
Two picks after Smith was selected at No. 3 overall, the Golden State Warriors selected Mitch Richmond. Quickly, Richmond adapted to the NBA, winning Rookie of the Year averaging 22.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.2 APG, and 1.0 SPG. He would play 2 more seasons with the Warriors before being shipped to the Kings in Sacramento. In a different part of California, Richmond blossomed into an All-Star 6 straight season from 1993 through 1998. Richmond was a 20.0 PPG scorer for the first 10 seasons of his career and a respectable defender with over 1.0 SPG every year of his career aside from his final one in 2002. All in all, the Sixers could have been far better off had they drafted Richmond and stayed with him as their selection.
Sharone Wright (1994 NBA Draft) - 6th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Eddie Jones - 10th Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
We must fast forward just a bit to 1994 to find the next mistake in the Sixers' draft history. With the 6th pick in 1994, they selected 6’11’’ center Sharone Wright out of Clemson. Wright would make the All-Rookie team in 1994-95 averaging 11.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.3 BPG. Just 46 games into the following season, Wright would be traded to Toronto in exchange for a first-round draft pick. Wright would last only 2 more full seasons after the trade in which his production took a major dip. Wright would retire from the NBA after the 1997-98 season at just 25 years old.
Just 4 picks later, the Los Angeles Lakers decided on guard/forward Eddie Jones out of Temple. Jones began his NBA career as an extremely valuable two-way star for L.A. After making the All-Rookie Team, Jones was an All-Star in his 3rd season with the team averaging 17.2 PPG and 2.4 SPG. Jones would have another All-Star season with the Lakers the following year and would be traded to the Hornets in 1998-99 to make way for Kobe Bryant’s insertion into the Lakers’ starting lineup. In 1999-00, Jones had his final All-Star year with Charlotte averaging 20.1 PPG and leading the NBA with 2.7 SPG. ones would enjoy a productive 14-year career with the Lakers, Hornets, Heat, Grizzlies, and Mavericks.
Evan Turner (2010 NBA Draft) - 2nd Overall Pick
Better Available Picks: DeMarcus Cousins - 5th Overall Pick, Paul George - 10th Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
Anybody who had a decent knowledge of the game in 2010 would have selected Evan Turner 2nd overall in the NBA Draft. He was one of the best players in the nation the season before at Ohio State and was a surefire lottery pick because of it. Turner was disappointing considering expectations to start his career with Philadelphia, averaging just 8.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG over his first 2 seasons. He had a decent year in 2013 and a great start to 2014 before being traded to the Pacers at the deadline. Turner’s production would decline considerably from there with the Pacers, Celtics, Trail Blazers, and Hawks. After 10 seasons, Turner called it quits in 2020 never having made an All-Star Team or All-NBA Team in his career.
There were multiple ways the Sixers could have gone instead of taking a flyer on Turner. At the 5th pick, the Kings selected DeMarcus Cousins who would eventually evolve into one of the best big men in the NBA. Injuries stole his prime from him and fans everywhere but had the Sixers drafted Boogie, he and Embiid would have been an unstoppable duo had Philly still been able to grab Embiid a few years later. Paul George was also still available and was taken 10th by the Pacers. The Sixers could have sped up “The Process” as it didn’t take long for George to lead the Pacers on multiple deep playoff runs.
Michael Carter-Williams (2013 NBA Draft) - 11th Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo - 15th Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
When the Sixers selected Michael Carter-Williams with the 11th pick in 2013, it didn’t start out bad at all for them. Carter-Williams had a superb rookie season that saw him win Rookie of the Year and averaged 16.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 1.9 SPG. In a bizarre move, the Sixers traded him the following season in a way to seemingly tank the season for a high draft pick. From there, Carter-Williams’ production plummeted along with his injuries and limited time on the court. Carter Williams retired after the 2021 season after there was no market for him after a promising start to his career.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Giannis Antetokounmpo was selected 4 picks later by the Milwaukee Bucks. After a brief adjustment period to begin his career, Giannis has skyrocketed to the title of the best player in the world at the current moment. Giannis has already done it all as a member of the Bucks which includes his unbelievable playoff run to the 2021 NBA title. Along with the title and Finals MVP award, Giannis has won 2 MVPs, and 1 Defensive Player of the Year, and is on track to take his place amongst the elite greats that played the game.
Jahlil Okafor (2015 NBA Draft) - 3rd Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Devin Booker - 13th Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
During the early and mid-2010s, the Sixers did their best to lose consistently and draft premier talent atop the draft. One of those choices was Jahlil Okafor out of Duke with the 3rd overall pick in 2015. From the get-go, Okafor looked to be the right pick, making the All-Rookie Team with 17. 5 PPG and 7.0 RPG. From there, everything changed with injury and reported attitude issues that saw both his playing time and production take a monstrous hit. Okafor would play 2 and a half seasons with the Sixers and just 3 seasons after that. After the 2021 season, Okafor no longer had a place in the NBA at only 25 years old.
Little did the Sixers or 12 other teams know that looming 10 picks later was a future star in Devin Booker. As a young man in the NBA, Booker showed his potential was near the levels he has reached now in 2022-23. Booker has improved his game every season with a scoring increase and an overall feel for the game. He has already led the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021 and made his first All-NBA First Team in 2021-22. In 2021-22, booker led the Suns to 64 wins in his 3rd straight All-Star season. He is currently averaging a career-high 27.4 PPG in 2022-23 and looks poised to challenge for another All-NBA Team selection.
Markelle Fultz (2017 NBA Draft) - 1st Overall Pick
Better Available Pick: Jayson Tatum - 3rd Overall Pick
Credit: Fadeaway World
After years of egregiously obvious tanking, the 76ers finally earned the 1st overall pick in the NBA Draft in 2017. Unfortunately for them, they decided to select Markelle Fultz out of Washington with the pick. It is not that Fultz has completely folded so far in the NBA, although Sixers and Magic fans would tell you differently. The fact is, Fultz has had the career of a typical 2nd-rounder rather than the No.1 overall pick. Fults spent 2 seasons in Philly where he averaged just 7.7 PPG and couldn’t hit the water from a pier with his jump shot. He is currently in his 4th season with the Orlando Magic where he has played just 7 games in 2022-23 and is averaging 9.7 PPG.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum has already become a Top 10 player in the NBA for the Boston Celtics. Tatum has shown great strides on both sides of the ball, strides that have the Celtics in the driver’s seats in the Eastern Conference. In 2021-22, Tatum led the Celtics to the NBA Finals for the first time in his career. Although they would lose the series, it was clear that Tatum could be a leader for an NBA championship team. In 2022-23, it is looking that way as Tatum has led the Celtics to an NBA-best 21-6 record. Tatum is currently the NBA front-runner for MVP with 30.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.0 BPG, and is shooting 47.2% from the floor.
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