Philadelphia holds the No. 22 pick — acquired via a trade with the Houston Rockets — and CBS Sports projects the 76ers selecting Koa Peat, the Arizona freshman whose decision to stay in the draft over returning to school has kept him available in the mid-20s. It’s a high-upside bet at a discounted price: a player who was regarded as a potential top-five pick before the season, now available at No. 22 after concerns about his shooting mechanics surfaced at the Combine.

Peat averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists at Arizona while shooting 35% from three, but the Combine raised questions about whether he has completely altered his shooting mechanics since the end of the season. CBS acknowledges the shooting form as its “biggest concern” but argues that Peat’s powerful inside-the-arc finishing, quick-processing passing ability, and defensive positioning give him real NBA value even if the three-ball never becomes a weapon. He filled a demanding starting role on Arizona’s national title team and won’t be overwhelmed by the speed of the NBA game.

The opportunity cost at No. 22 is Isaiah Evans, who falls to Denver at No. 26 in this mock. Evans is a Duke sophomore described by CBS as one of the top marksmen in the draft — a player who nearly doubled his three-point attempts from his freshman year and maintained a 36.1% clip. Philadelphia passing on Evans’s perimeter shooting to take Peat’s interior physicality is a direct reflection of the Sixers’ primary need: center depth behind Joel Embiid.

Bleacher Report projects Chris Cenac Jr. to Philadelphia instead, describing him as a sturdy change-of-pace center with the frame to back up Embiid and enough of a shooting touch to play in floor-spacing lineups. Yahoo Sports has Luigi Suigo going to the Sixers, while Tankathon slots Morez Johnson Jr. here. The consistent theme across outlets is Philadelphia seeking a center at this pick — CBS just prefers Peat’s established track record at a major program over the alternatives.

Outlet	Projected Player
CBS Sports	Koa Peat
Bleacher Report	Chris Cenac Jr.
Tankathon	Morez Johnson Jr.
Yahoo Sports	Luigi Suigo

The 76ers’ organizational calculus is straightforward: Joel Embiid cannot be trusted to stay on the floor for a full season, and the team that surrounds Tyrese Maxey needs a center who can hold down the position when Embiid misses time. Peat’s frame — 6-foot-7, 245 pounds — makes him a potential hybrid between the four and five, a player who can guard centers without requiring a true center rotation slot. His ability to play alongside Embiid rather than only behind him is a genuine differentiated value proposition.

If Peat’s shooting mechanics are salvageable — and NBA player development programs have fixed more complicated mechanics than his — then Philadelphia gets a former projected top-five talent at a dramatic discount. Even if the three-ball never arrives, his physicality, passing touch, and winning pedigree make him a low-bust profile for No. 22. The Sixers are playing a value game here, and the buy-low timing is as favorable as it gets for a player with Peat’s upside.