The Philadelphia 76ers do not have a draft pick in the 2023 NBA draft on June 22. They traded 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 by the NBA for tampering.
However, that doesn’t mean the Sixers will or should be inactive around the draft process. There will be a number of talented players who go undrafted, meaning the Sixers should be able to add a young player who could potentially become a rotation piece.
One should not brush off undrafted players. The Miami Heat, who are in the NBA Finals, are a prime example of investing in young talent and giving them time to develop. They have seven undrafted players on their roster, four in their rotation.
Next up in the undrafted player profiles is Jarkel Joiner of North Carolina State who can handle the ball as well as put the ball in the basket.
Strengths
Joiner is a competitive player who can take a defender off the dribble to the basket while applying stingy defense on the other end of the floor. He was named to the 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).
He is able to work through defenses and finish at the basket. Whether that is able to translate to the pro game remains to be seen, but Joiner is a young guy with a great work ethic. He will be able to find a way to make it all work.
Weaknesses
As tough as Joiner is as a driver, the shot is a bit streaky. He has a nice shot, but he needs to find the consistency he will need in order to be a strong NBA player. He is a bit undersized for his position and his upside may be limited due to his age (24), but with the right coaching and attention, all of that could be eradicated.
Mock draft projection
The latest Rookie Wire mock draft projection has Joiner going undrafted.
Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire