Philadelphia 76ers’ Chance at Cooper Flagg Pick After Knicks Loss
On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks. After facing their Atlantic Division rival twice already this season, the Sixers were potentially in line for a third-straight loss against the Knicks.
At this point in the season, the Knicks’ playoff seeding doesn’t mean much to the Sixers. After struggling through the All-Star break, the Sixers are in between cracking the final Play-In position or keeping their top-6 protected pick for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Heading into Wednesday’s action, the Sixers were in a position to keep their pick. A loss against the Knicks didn’t change their rank in the standings. With a 20-38 record on the year, the Sixers place 12th in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls, and only in front of the Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and the Washington Wizards.
All season long, several teams in a rebuilding phase have been the favorites to win the 2025 top pick, which is assumed to be the Duke star Cooper Flagg. Heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season, the championship-hopeful Sixers didn’t expect to be anywhere near the top of the lottery.
Yet, they could end up with a top-6 pick come June. As of February 27, the Sixers have an actual shot at a top-5 pick and even have a slight chance at winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.
According to Tankathon, the Sixers have a 37 percent shot at landing a top-4 pick in the draft. Their chances of winning the lottery are currently placed at nine percent. The Hornets, Wizards, and Utah Jazz all have the best chances at 14 percent at the moment.
For those in favor of the tank, the Sixers are still in a tough spot, as one unfavorable drawing could have them forking over their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A scenario where the Sixers miss the Play-In and lose their pick would be the absolute worst-case scenario for the 2024-2025 season.
(Side note: With one spin of Tankathon’s Draft Lottery Simulator, the Sixers ended up with the top pick. Imagine that.)
The Sixers will finish out this week’s slate with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. When they faced the Warriors earlier this season, the Sixers took on one of their worst losses of the year at the time. Currently, the Sixers are on a nine-game skid while placing 2.5 games in front of Toronto.
