2026 NBA mock draft: Sixers select Karim Lopez with the No. 22 pick

[ASFN Admin]

With the 2026 NBA draft continuing to approach, the Philadelphia 76ers will have their options at No. 22 on June 23. The Sixers acquired the pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder via the Houston Rockets so there is now work to do for this front office.

The Sixers could use more depth on the wings as well as help at the backup center position behind Joel Embiid. They could also use another guard should they end up losing Quentin Grimes in free agency. Therefore, there will be a number of different players at the selection for Philadelphia.

A mock draft performed by Sports Illustrated has the Sixers selecting Karim Lopez out of the NBL at No. 22:

The Philadelphia 76ers surprisingly earned themselves a Playoffs series win, but still feel several pieces away from competing. Breakers’ forward Karim Lopez is a bet on a positionally malleable player able to spread production across several areas.

Lopez has a wide range as a player that produced at a high level in a pro league, but doesn’t offer the neon light flashiness that others do. He scored 11.9 points per game in the NBL, upping his points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and efficiency across the board.

Lopez is tall, lengthy, strong, competitive and can slide in as a jumbo wing or nice-sized four, able to put his fingerprints on several areas of the game. All things the 76ers need out of a late-first pick.

Lopez averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 50.2% from the floor. He did take 3.0 triples per game and shot 32.6% from deep in 31 games with the Breakers in 2025-26. He stands at 6-foot-5 and is only 19 years old with a ton of great basketball instincts. He could be worth a look at 22 for Philadelphia.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 2026 NBA mock draft: Sixers select Karim Lopez with the No. 22 pick

Continue reading...