How to watch the 2017 NBA draft

Jackson joins a team facing some uncertainty in the back court.

In this city, the core group of the greatest Phillies team ever with Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Larry Bowa, Bob Boone and Greg Luzinski endured a 91-loss season in 1972 before eventually moving forward to win six National League East Division titles in eight years through the mid-1970s and early-1980s, and the team's first World Series in 1980.

In his first game with the Huskies, he scored 33 points in a 100-96 overtime loss during an exhibition in Australia to the Dandenong Rangers. He averaged 12 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on a deep Seminoles team, shooting almost 51 percent overall and 78 percent from the line.

BYU's Eric Mika, who declared for the draft after his sophomore season, was not among the 60 players selected in the two rounds. Bogut had to be traded to the Warriors to get his ring. He's the flawless complement to 6-10 wing Ben Simmons (the No. 1 pick who was injured all last year) and 7-foot center Joel Embiid, the former No. 3 pick who looked awesome in 31 games last year.

"I'm so grateful", Jackson said, "but (the Pelicans) weren't in my mind, to be honest". "That's our goal and that's where we want to be. With the certainty of No. 1, we know we control our circumstances".

After all, this IS the Celtics, the bane of the Sixers existence for most of the 1960s, as well as some heartbreaking years in the 1980s. You have to wear those shoes for hours and hours throughout the night, and maybe it'd best to don something a little different to sacrifice style for comfort?

Fultz is the right fit, a versatile guard who can play on or off the ball and be the flawless complement to Simmons, who the Sixers plan to use as their chief ball-handler and facilitator.

"In our opinion", he said, "elite wings - two-way wings - are the hardest players in the National Basketball Association to find".

Veterans win in the National Basketball Association and the Sixers are sorely lacking in that department. Embiid is one of the most exciting players in the game, if his knees hold up. Fortunately, thanks in large part to Sam Hinkie, the Sixers have the assets and the cap space to add those necessary pieces. And boy - if he would have played with Lonzo Ball this year, he would have been a first round pick.

- Markelle Fultz was once cut from the varsity team in high school and now he is the No. 1 overall pick in the National Basketball Association draft. That's a lot of flexibility.

"We had conversations around four leading up to the draft", GM Ryan McDonough said, "but over the last 24 to 48 hours, once we got more comfort that Josh was going to be there at four or likely to be there at four, I think that made us even more steadfast to hang on to the pick unless somebody blew us away with an offer".

Jackson, who said he did not work out for the Celtics because of scheduling conflicts, added that he thought that may have had something to do with him falling to No. 4. "I've been drafted to Phoenix, and I'm going to go there and I'm going to make the best of it". Dubbed "The Process", it has netted high-pick talents Embiid, Jahlil Okafor and Simmons. And even that may not be enough. "They cancelled a workout on us when we flew out to Sacramento, and they just chose to cancel it as we flew - just [coach] Brad [Stevens] and I and [assistant general manager] Mike Zarren flew cross-country". You want to get him next year in free agency and give up nothing.

The NCAA has never really liked it, and earlier this month, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the system as it's now constructed - where players can enter the draft after a year of college - is "not working for anyone". "If we're just not ready, so be it; we can wait as long as we maintain that flexibility and that's going to be the key objective in this whole thing". We've earned this, Sixers fans. He's a good player when attacking downhill in the fast break, and Boston's fast pace offense could be a good fit for a developmental player.

History has proven that.