The 76ers selected Markelle Fultz with the first overall pick in the NBA draft on Thursday.
They acquired the 25th pick from the Orlando Magic to draft Latvian center Anzejs Pasceniks in exchange for future assets. The Sixers picked up two more foreign players in Australian Jonah Bolden and Frenchman Mathias Lessort in the second round while selling their other two picks in the round.
Pasceniks, Bolden and Lessort will remain overseas for at least another year.
Nothing the Sixers did Thursday _ and plan to do moving forward with this group _ was unexpected.
Everyone knew they were taking the versatile Fultz first, acquiring the pick on Monday via trade with the Boston Celtics. That same day, team president Bryan Colangelo hinted that the team would add another first-round pick, and he got Pasceniks.
Colangelo also never hid his desire to stash his foreign draft picks overseas for a couple of seasons. And league sources had said the Sixers were looking to sell at least one of their second-rounders.
So, Colangelo accomplished his goals.
"I was proud of the effort put forth by everyone in the room," Colangelo said of his staff. "We were very well prepared for the draft, which was always something that you want to feel walking out of there."
Colangelo didn't want to give a grade for his second draft class.
"But," he said, "we feel like we performed well."
We won't be able to accurately grade this draft class until Fultz, Pasceniks, Bolden and Lessort all contribute to the team. And there's no telling when that will be.
So, for now, Fultz is going to get most of the attention while his draftmates polish their games overseas.
Pasceniks, a towering presence at 7-foot-2, has two seasons left on his deal with CB Gran Canaria in Spain. Bolden, a 6-foot-10 power forward, signed a two-year contract with KK Crvena zvezda in Belgrade on June 10. And Lessort, a 6-9 power forward/center, was nearing a deal with Brose Bamberg in Germany. He can opt out of his contract to play in the NBA.
"All of the international draftees are subject to contracts with their clubs and certain buyout language," Colangelo said.
However, the Sixers don't want to bring them over next season. They want them to develop more overseas like Dario Saric did for two seasons after the Sixers acquired him in the 2014 draft.
Plus, they don't have room for all of them on next season's 17-man roster. As a result, outside of Fultz, the picks were made with the future in mind.
In couple of seasons, Pasceniks could develop into a solid rotation big for the Sixers and insurance if Joel Embiid keeps getting injured.
The 21-year-old has good size and runs the floor well. However, Pasceniks' offensive skills are raw. He also needs to add strength to his 229-pound body to stop getting muscled around on the block. Pasceniks averaged 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.4 minutes last season.
Bolden, 21, averaged 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.7 minutes as a redshirt freshman at UCLA during the 2015-16 season. He left school after that season to sign with KK FMP Beograd in Serbia. Showing versatility, Bolden played both forward positions en route to being the Adriatic League's top prospect. He averaged 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and shot 41.9 percent on 3-pointers in the ABA.
He's weaknesses are finishing around the basket and free-throw shooting.
At 250 pounds, Lessort has a solid frame. He's an energy guy and a solid rebounder. However, he's a poor 3-point shooter and needs to be more composed on defense. Right now, his best position is at center, although he appears to be an inch of two shorter than the listed height of 6-9.
Lessort, 21, averaged 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds last season for French team Nanterre 92.
"We really do think that the players that we picked, could in fact develop into bona fide NBA players," Colangelo said.
It's just likely going to take a couple of seasons before we find out.
It's human nature to want to see the new players on the court next season. But it's hard to be disappointed with the Sixers' plan, especially when it was one we expected.
