5 potential undrafted guards Sixers should look into after 2023 NBA draft
The Philadelphia 76ers do not currently have a draft pick in the 2023 NBA draft. They traded away their first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in the deal that brought James Harden to the City of Brotherly Love at the 2022 deadline and they were docked second-round picks in 2023 and 2024 due to tampering charges.
However, that doesn’t mean that the Sixers will or should be inactive around the draft process. There will be plenty of talented players that will slip through the cracks of the draft and that is when they should be able to add a young player to their roster who can potentially become a rotational player in this league.
One should not just brush off any undrafted players. The Miami Heat are a prime example of investing in young talent and giving them time to develop. In the Sixers’ case, here are five guards who could potentially go undrafted and could help in the long run:
Kendric Davis, Memphis
Standing at just 5-foot-11, Davis was a fifth-year senior at Memphis and he averaged 21.9 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 34.6% from deep. He was named the 2022 AAC Player of the Year while he was at SMU. Davis has a tight handle and can get to the basket due to his elite athleticism. He’s great in transition due to his playmaking ability and his ball-handling ability allows him to run the pick-and-roll efficiently.
Mike Miles Jr., Memphis
Miles Jr. isn’t as athletic as somebody like Davis, for example, but he’s so strong and tough when he gets to the basket. He is able to power through defenders and it allowed him to average 17.9 points on 49.7% shooting. He can break defenders down off the dribble and his strength allows him to be able to be effective on the offensive end of the floor. He needs to be more consistent as a 3-point shooter, but that can come with time.
Jarkel Joiner, North Carolina State
Joiner is a competitive two-way player who can take a defender off the dribble to the basket while also applying stingy defense on the other end of the floor. He was named All-ACC Second Team after averaging 17 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals on 35.4% from deep. He finished fourth in the conference in scoring and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.25).
Joiner spoke with Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire on what stands out about him:
I try not to say that I’m better than anybody, but I’m different. I’m very competitive. I pick up the ball 94 feet. I play on both ends of the court, so I try to stand out in different ways.
Isaiah Wong, Miami (FL)
As a senior, Wong led the Hurricanes to their first-ever Final Four appearance in program history and he was named the ACC Player of the Year in 2023. He averaged 16.2 points and he shot 38.4% from deep during the season. In the NCAA Tournament, he had a miserable game against Drake in the opener (five points on 1-for-10 shooting), but he bounced back nicely with 27 points in the Round of 32 against Indiana. Overall, he averaged 16.2 points and shot 38.6% from deep in the tournament.
Emoni Bates, Eastern Michigan
The Sixers have already met with Bates in hopes of him going undrafted, but there is a high chance he goes in the second round of the draft on June 22. The 6-foot-9 guard averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 40.5% in the 2022-23 season for the Eagles and he would bring size and athleticism to the position. The upside for him is high as he has the potential to be a strong two-way player in the NBA. If Philadelphia is able to swoop in and grab him, it would be a nice addition to begin stockpiling young talent.
