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What is certain to be one of the more important parts of the Philadelphia 76ers' offseason is surrounding what they plan to do with their pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. While it isn’t as flashy as their number three pick a year prior, in which they struck gold with VJ Edgecombe, it still provides them with a chance to add some much-needed depth on the court.
As is usually the case in the NBA offseason, there have been plenty of mock drafts coming out projecting what teams are set to do with their picks, and in a recent one, the Sixers add some talent under the basket.
The Sixers look towards Houston
In Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman’s recent mock draft, Philadelphia is poised to take Chris Cenac Jr, a front-court presence from the Houston Cougars. Cenac, who was a freshman at Houston, had a rather productive first year in the NCAA, recording 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds a night for the Cougars.
While the New Orleans native’s numbers might not sound all too impressive off the bat, he led the Big 12 in defensive rating (92.2), while finishing in the top ten across all rebounding metrics in his conference.
But when it mattered most for Cenac and the Cougars, he rose to the occasion, averaging ten points and 12.3 rebounds a night during Houston’s run to the round of 16 at the NCAA Men’s Championship tournament, falling to eventual final-four side Illinois.
Standing at 6-foot 11-inches, Cenac would add some height under the basket for the Sixers, potentially filling the void left by Andre Drummond, who was a consistent feature for Philadelphia last season, but is set to become a free agent after his contract expires.
It wouldn’t hurt for the Sixers to add some additional depth behind Joel Embiid, who, despite appearing in more games last season, still struggled to stay on the court consistently.
For now, what the Sixers plan to do with their mid-to-late round pick is up in the air and will be decided when the NBA draft commences on June 23.
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