The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into the 2026 NBA draft armed with a first-round pick they acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Jared McCain deal. The pick, via the Houston Rockets, landed at No. 22 and the Sixers have a number of options they can look at in order to really improve and add another young piece to the roster and move forward.
The Sixers have some holes to fill. While they were able to make the playoffs and pull off a shocking upset over the Boston Celtics in Round 1 despite trailing the series 3-1, they were brought down to earth rather quickly when they were swept by the New York Knicks in Round 2. The Sixers have to fortify a bench unit that came up short in the postseason.
A mock draft performed by USA Today has the Sixers selecting Texas forward Dailyn Swain with the No. 22 pick:
After transferring from Xavier to Texas during the offseason and helping lead the Longhorns to the Sweet 16, Dailyn Swain emerged as one of the more intriguing breakout players in college basketball. The All-SEC forward is versatile and contributed across the board on both ends, scoring efficiently in the paint and in transition. Another appealing element is his effectiveness in isolation, where he can create for himself against defenders. Swain is quick, bouncy and a solid rebounder, and his 81.5% free-throw percentage suggests promising shooting touch. While he has three years of college experience, he’s still just 20 years old, the same age as several NCAA freshmen.
Swain averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 54.2% from the floor and 34.4% from deep in the 2025-26 season. He also averaged 1.6 steals as he showed off his toughness on that end of the floor. The Sixers could always use an athletic wing who can do it all on both ends of the floor. He won’t be a name many will hear leading into the draft, but Swain makes a lot of sense for Philadelphia.
