Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Tre Johnson 'Gaining Momentum' as NBA Draft No. 3 Pick

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 12:07 AM ET

One of the vagaries of any draft, in any sport, is that NBA teams so often wind up failing to see the forest for the trees, and when it comes time to make a pick on draft night, easily talk themselves out of simply taking the best player who's on the board and letting things sort out from there. That's how Michael Jordan wound up at No. 3 in the 1984 draft, and how, say, Greg Oden or Andrea Bargnani winds up as a No. 1 pick.

By that logic, one NBA executive said, there's little doubt what the Sixers should do with the No. 3 pick.

"Tre Johnson should be the third pick in this draft, he's the third-best player from the NBA lens," the exec said. "He's gaining momentum there, it's just a matter of fit. When you have a Top 3 pick, you should not be thinking about fit. You should be thinking, 'Who is the best player we can take here?' And this year it's Tre Johnson."

Johnson is a talented wing who might be the best shooter in the draft, and can be an outstanding secondary playmaker. He averaged 19.9 points at Texas as a freshman and shot 39.7% from the 3-point line. Johnson averaged 2.7 assists, but showed the ability to be a deft passer.

"He is not a very good defender," the GM said. "That's the big strike against him. He's got the ability, he just has not been really pushed defensively. So it gets into fit--how does he fit with (Tyrese) Maxey and (Jared) McCain? Are they a terrible defensive team with him on the floor with those guards? If you look at it specific to the Sixers, it's easy to talk yourself out of picking him."

The Sixers are approaching this offseason as though they're close to returning to contention. That means using the No. 3 pick, either by trade or by exercising the pick, to support the team's very short-term window, one that likely has already closed.

"Give me the best player in that spot," the exec said. "I think that's Johnson. You should not be trying to draft a role player at No. 3, when you have the chance for a potential star."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: