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NBA Draft: Koa Peat Continues to be Linked to the Sixers
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The NBA Draft is inching closer, and the 22nd selection will be the first major decision made by the Sixers’ new front office regime.
With Joel Embiid and Paul George still under contract and taking up a massive chunk of the salary cap, getting impactful cost-controlled contracts is a major priority, and the draft is the clearest pathway to doing so. This 22nd pick will also come with plenty of attention, given that it arrived in Philadelphia due to the decision to move on from Jared McCain.
But harsh feelings about the trade decision should be left behind with the firing of Daryl Morey. It’s the task of the Bob Myers and Mike Gansey-led group to take the next positive steps forward.
One player who has increasingly been put on the Sixers’ radar in recent weeks has been Arizona standout Koa Peat.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Monday: “The rumor around the NBA right now regarding Peat is that his camp is angling to try and get Philadelphia to take him, which would pair him with Maxey, another fellow Klutch client.”
There have been similar comments made by a few other NBA Draft reporters. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie also has Peat mocked to the Sixers in his latest article, which he qualifies is partially intel-based and partially based on his opinions.
Peat being repped by Klutch Sports is a key part of the story here. Rich Paul has a case for the most powerful man in the NBA and is responsible for many of the major trades that occur across the league. Tyrese Maxey has gradually climbed the totem pole of his most valuable clients, and there is a fair case that the Sixers should be making decisions based on the star guard’s future more than anyone else in the organization. It is also worth acknowledging that Rich Paul and Bob Myers were spotted sitting court-side together on more than one occasion. You can take issue with the ethics of Paul leveraging clients the way he does, but the reality is that when he or the player wants something to happen, it typically does. But NBA politics aside, it is still the Sixers’ decision when they’re on the clock with the 22nd pick.
Koa Peat is an intriguing talent with some legitimate flaws that can’t be just brushed over. Across his one-and-done season in college, he posted averages of 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Measuring 6-foot-7 at the combine with a wingspan just shy of 7-feet, he projects largely as a wing at the NBA level, but his lack of perimeter shooting makes this a concern.
The 19-year-old shot just 7-for-20 (35.0%) from beyond the three-point arc this season, averaging 0.8 perimeter attempts per game. He never attempted more than two long-range shots in a game and was held without a perimeter attempt in 21 of his 36 games played. More concerning than the raw numbers was the inconsistent shot form. Peat attempted to calm the nerves of potential NBA suitors by revealing a re-worked shot form at the NBA combine and during his Klutch Sports Pro Day. But this new form was not something that exactly inspired confidence, with his guide hand seeming abnormally forward on the ball during plenty of the repetitions.
This is not to say he is ineffective. During the early parts of this season of college basketball, I was ready to make the case that Peat deserved top-10 pick buzz. But shooting is at more of a premium than ever before in the NBA, and these are legitimate mechanical concerns. Teams are going to willingly sag off Peat to force him to shoot it until he can prove he can make them pay, and there is no guarantee that this ever occurs. If you do want to be optimistic, Peat has a solid touch in the mid-range and still served as a legitimate offensive engine this season, even with the perimeter deficiencies. He is a high-level athlete with grown-man strength and plays with a chip on his shoulder.
With the shooting put to the side for the time being, there is still plenty to like about Peat. He has a bulldog mentality and plays with a ton of physicality. Mike Gansey’s track record in Cleveland suggests he tends to prioritize players who are good rebounders for their position. Peat checks this box. He plays with an excellent motor and was able to feast off matchups in college by being too strong for wing defenders and too quick for bigs. He has all the defensive tools to be a high-level contributor on this side of the floor and has had some really nice flashes in college.
Peat has a wide draft range, with his biggest believers having him slotted in the lottery, while some believe he is more of a second-round talent due to the shooting issues. Drafting with the 22nd overall pick put the Sixers in a spot where they largely have to sit back and allow the board to play out in front of them. I laid out five other names to keep an eye on that feel like better fits to me, but it’s smokescreen season, when plenty of teams are still leaking things intentionally and getting their draft boards set. There is still plenty of time for the Sixers to establish their hierarchy of draft prospects, but the chatter of Koa Peat coming to Philadelphia is continuing to pick up steam, and it is a storyline worth paying attention to in the coming weeks.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.