NBA draft season is officially under way.
The Sixers had two scouts at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament last week and three scouts at the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Ore.
There were 172 NBA scouts in Portsmouth, where 64 of the top senior NBA draft prospects took the court. Sixers scouts Mike VandeGarde and Frank DiLeo were in search of a potential second-round pick or undrafted free agent.
“Second-round picks have been very good to us,” VandeGarde said. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve had four or five guys that have played major roles on NBA teams that we’ve drafted in the second round, so this is as important as anything.”
VandeGarde admitted the Sixers could really use some help down low.
“I think most fans, as well as the administration, would say we need a little more depth in our post play,” VandeGarde said. “You go into the draft and you try to evaluate who the best player is and, depending upon where your pick is, you might try to go for a specific position or you might go for the best player on the board.”
DiLeo said the Sixers weren’t looking for stars, just role players.
“Hardly any of these guys will come out and be stars right away, so you’re looking at guys that can fill a role — whether you can be a shooter, whether you can be a rebounder, whether you can be a distributor,” DiLeo said. “And then sometimes there’s a guy you like because you like his all-around game, and you can put him in the game in various situations.”
