The 76ers’ Draft Pick: When Data Tells a Story Better Than Hope

I don’t believe in draft night theatrics. I believe in what happens between the lines of a box score.

The Weight of a Pick

They call it ‘Project Pick’—No. 3 overall. But behind that glossy headline is a quiet truth: 76ers didn’t draft a player. They drafted an expectation.

I ran Python scripts on five seasons of missed opportunities. The real value wasn’t in wings or dunks—it was in footwork, spacing, and unselfish reads.

The Quiet Truth Behind VJ·Echikom

VJ Echikom? He’s listed as ‘best new prospect.’ But his numbers don’t lie—he averages 19.3 minutes, 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds.

He’s not elite. He’s efficient.

His floor game isn’t flashy—it’s surgical.

But when Charlotte takes him at No. 4… we lose more than talent—we lose context.

The Ghost of Branden Miller

Branden Miller? He fits like poetry written in motion.

His size? Six-foot-nine. His vision? A floor general with no ego. But he won’t be ‘the next big thing’ unless someone sees what his assist rate reveals— a player who moves without needing to be seen.

The Cost of Letting Go of Bellamy

Bellamy—six-foot-ten, multi-dimensional—could’ve been our cornerstone.

He doesn’t need hype to matter—he needs time to breathe into his potential. Nine years ago, we lost Tatum—and now we’re still bleeding quietly—in Boston, in Philadelphia, in every spreadsheet where hope outlasts data.

We traded for pick No. 3—not for talent—but for silence that speaks louder than noise.