How could the NBA draft lottery play out for the Sixers? Five ‘Tankathon’ spins show how much luck is at play.

The 76ers are less than 24 hours from knowing their draft lottery fate. They have a 64% chance of keeping their top-six protected pick — it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it lands seventh or lower because of a 2020 trade — and a 10.5% chance of winning the No. 1 pick and, presumably, generational prospect Cooper Flagg.

To help illustrate how much luck is at play when the ping-pong balls start bouncing, The Inquirer turned to a handy resource: Tankathon, the online draft simulator that has become wildly popular with NBA sickos. We took it for five consecutive spins, and logged the results.

» READ MORE: Sixers will keenly follow bouncing balls in NBA draft lottery to learn their fate

For the purpose of this exercise, they unfolded about as well as possible. The Sixers landed in a different slot each time, allowing for them to select different prospects. Two times, they landed outside the top six, which is representative of their actual odds to lose the pick. And they never landed at the top spot, where we know Duke’s Flagg will be selected.

Here is a breakdown of where the Sixers landed in those simulations, and whom The Inquirer would select with that pick.

1. New Orleans Pelicans: Cooper Flagg, Duke forward

2. Washington Wizards: Dylan Harper, Rutgers guard

3. Brooklyn Nets: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor guard

4. Charlotte Hornets: Ace Bailey, Rutgers wing

5. Utah Jazz: Tre Johnson, Texas guard

6. Sixers: Kon Knueppel, Duke wing

In this scenario, the Sixers barely kept their pick, dropping one spot to sixth. Knueppel is a plug-and-play wing, which perhaps is an ideal selection for a team banking that fewer injuries in 2025-26 will immediately return them to postseason relevancy. Knueppel is a dynamite shooter, connecting on 40.6% of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game at Duke. He also is a high-IQ playmaker and midrange shooter who, at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, would theoretically fit on any roster even with some athletic limitations.

Big men Khaman Maluach or Derik Queen also could be interesting choices here, given Joel Embiid’s ongoing health uncertainty and the long quest to find a dependable and productive backup. Or if the Jazz hypothetically choose Knueppel, Johnson is an enticing option with his bucket-getting ability.

1. Brooklyn Nets: Cooper Flagg, Duke forward

2. Washington Wizards: Dylan Harper, Rutgers guard

3. San Antonio Spurs: Ace Bailey, Rutgers wing

4. Chicago Bulls: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor wing

5. Utah Jazz: Tre Johnson, Texas guard

6. Charlotte Hornets: Khaman Maluach, Duke center

7. New Orleans Pelicans: Kon Kneuppel, Duke wing

8. Sixers: Pick goes to Thunder

This illustrates how easily this could blow up for the Sixers. Chicago, which was slotted at 12th entering the lottery, and San Antonio, which was slotted at eighth, moving up contributed to Utah, New Orleans, Charlotte, and the Sixers all slipping. And the Nets — who were almost too plucky and too well-coached for significant stretches of this past season — shoot up to land Flagg.

1. Brooklyn: Cooper Flagg, Duke forward

2. Sixers: Dylan Harper, Rutgers guard

3. Charlotte Hornets: Ace Bailey, Rutgers wing

4. New Orleans Pelicans: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor wing

5. Utah Jazz: Tre Johnson, Texas guard

6. Washington Wizards: Kon Knueppel, Duke wing

The Sixers just miss out on Flagg. But Harper is the consensus No. 2 prospect, thanks to his change-of-pace ability with the ball in his hands, his elite finishing at the rim, and his playmaking. Though he was Rutgers’ primary ballhandler, his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame and scoring knack mean he also could play shooting guard or small forward at the next level.

» READ MORE: The Sixers can get some help in Monday’s lottery. History says they’ll squander the opportunity.

Drafting Harper might feel repetitive with Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and, potentially, Quentin Grimes on the roster. But Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said at his end-of-season news conference that the team would draft the best player available, regardless of position. Or the Sixers could consider trading the pick in a win-now move.

(Also: Brooklyn with Flagg, again!)

1. Portland Trail Blazers: Cooper Flagg, Duke forward

2. New Orleans Pelicans: Dylan Harper, Rutgers guard

3. Brooklyn Nets: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor wing

4. Charlotte Hornets: Ace Bailey, Rutgers wing

5. Utah Jazz: Tre Johnson, Texas guard

6. Washington Wizards: Kon Knueppel, Duke wing

7. Sixers: Pick goes to Thunder

Oof. Portland jumping all the way from 10th to first contributed to the slide of the Sixers. The flattened lottery odds also have been at play throughout this exercise in relation to the Jazz and Wizards, illustrating that a full tanking season does not guarantee landing the top pick.

1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, Duke forward

2. Brooklyn Nets: Dylan Harper, Rutgers point guard

3. Utah Jazz: Ace Bailey, Rutgers wing

4. Sixers: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor wing

5. Washington Wizards: Tre Johnson, Texas wing

6. Charlotte Hornets: Khaman Maluach, Duke center

First: Wow, Mavs! They shot up from the 11th spot to No. 1. Perhaps this was all part of Nico Harrison’s long con. Just kidding.

Edgecombe is a ridiculous athlete, regularly creating highlight-worthy moments on both ends of the floor. The 6-5, 180-pounder is also a defensive playmaker (2.1 steals per game) who could thrive in Nick Nurse’s aggressive scheme.

» READ MORE: NBA draft lottery primer: What’s at stake for the Sixers, and how the drawing actually works

Edgecombe would be able to lean into that explosiveness while he develops and refines his skills as a creator and shooter, which improved dramatically during his college season. And he becomes a younger wing option if Paul George is in a legitimate late-career decline, rather than coming off one bad-luck injury season.