The Sixers addressed a need in Thursday night’s draft when they selected Marreese Speights from Florida. Speights is a 6′10″ sophomore with a lot of potential. He took the reigns of the Gators after back-to-back titles and played 24 minutes on average last season. Speights is a big man with a scoring threat.  He was in town two weeks ago working out with the Sixers at their practice facility.

Speights shot over 65 percent last season and could add some immediate help to a Sixers organization which is still in turnaround mode. His interior scoring abilities should help a lot, as that was a weakness last year for the Sixers. Here’s what NBA.com has to say about the newest Sixer.

Speights has been provided with a huge wingspan, which has caused him to be so successful on the defensive end. He is a superb rebounder and shot-blocker. Speights has been gifted with great hands, which allow him to work on the block on both ends of the hardwood.

The Sixers actually played well above expectations in the 2007-08 season, albeit they finished two games under .500. A young team showed us they may not have had all the skill players, but they had tons and tons of heart. They often battled back from large defecits to win games and found their identity as an energy team that runs the floor.

They became a team known for scoring points with quick passes, fast breaks, but rarely for shooting. Night in and night out the Sixers seemed to struggle with their shooting percentage. They found a way to fight back with defense energy baskets. Despite a very good year for center Samuel Dalembert, the Sixers weren’t very deep in the front court. The Sixers still need to address some needs in the off-season, including the power forward position.

More analysis on the pick is soon to come.

Photo courtesy: CHARLES FOX / Inquirer Staff Photographer