With the regular season in the rear-view mirror, NBA teams that didn’t make the playoffs turn their attention to something else: the draft. It’s where franchises begin. The draft makes or breaks a team for the future. One wrong selection and the team is set back. This puts an immense amount of pressure on teams to select the right player from the wealth of possible talent each year. With the draft class loaded this year and the Sixers so close to success, the selection is crucial.

Realistically, the Sixers will land between the fourth and sixth pick in the draft, with the slight, but real, possibility that the Sixers could swap picks with the Lakers. By the time the Sixes pick, there is almost a guarantee that the top talent in the draft,  point guard Markelle Fultz,  point guard Lonzo Ball, and small forward Josh Jackson, will be taken. This still leaves the Sixers will great options, including  point guard De’Aaron Fox,  shooting guard Malik Monk, and  point guard Frank Ntilikina.

The Sixers need to nab a guard in this years’ draft. The talent level is too elite to pass up on. With this in mind, Monk would fit nicely in the Sixers lineup. He’s a terrific shooter, averaging 19.8 points per game and shooting 45% from the field in college, and is long, so he can play perimeter defense. The current options at shooting guard are Gerald Henderson and Nik Stauskas. Henderson is slowly aging and Monk has more to offer than Stauskas, so Monk could slide right into the Sixers starting lineup. De’Aaron Fox is another great option. The Sixers need a point guard, and Fox’s athleticism would be a great addition. However, Fox’s jump shot needs work, so his consistency could be questioned, but he more than makes up for it with his court vision, ability to pass, and ability to drive.

No matter who the Sixers end up choosing, they need to get it right. The time to win is now, and this selection could complete the process. If the Sixers to select Monk, imagine the lineup of Jerryd Bayless, Monk, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, and Simmons, with Robert Covington, TJ McConnell, Henderson, Stauskas, and Jahlil Okafor coming off the bench. This is finally the lineup Sixer fans were promised years ago.