What can the Sixers expect with the No. 22 draft pick? Past drafts illustrate the unpredictability.

Tyrese Maxey is a prime example of the caliber of player a team could snag in the early 20s of the NBA draft.

But Jameer Nelson, the 76ers’ newly promoted executive vice president of basketball operations, also was quick to remind that Maxey is the exception, not the rule.

“We got lucky with the person,” Nelson recently said of Maxey, the All-NBA point guard whom the Sixers drafted 21st in 2020. “We got lucky with the player.”

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The Sixers are in a similar spot this year, holding the No. 22 overall pick entering Tuesday’s first round. It has been a sped-up process for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who was formally introduced last week after spearheading the draft in his previous job as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager.

To further illustrate the uncertainty that comes with selecting at this point in the draft, here’s a look back at pick Nos. 21 through 23 the last five years. It offers a collection of success stories, and players who have since fallen out of the league.

21st pick: Will Riley, forward, Illinois

22nd pick: Drake Powell, wing, North Carolina

23rd pick: Asa Newell, forward, Georgia

Riley (10.3 points in 74 games) earned NBA All-Rookie votes this past season, as a surprise on a Washington Wizards team with a barrage of recent high draft picks. Powell (6.5 points in 63 games) was in the Nets’ rotation, which comes with the caveat that Brooklyn was not exactly interested in winning last season. Newell averaged 5.2 points in 44 games for the Hawks, but also spent time in the G League during Atlanta’s surge in the second half of the regular season.

21st pick: Yves Missi, center, Baylor

22nd pick: DaRon Holmes, forward, Dayton

23rd pick: AJ Johnson, guard, Australia

Missi has started 81 of 139 games in two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 7.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Holmes tore his Achilles tendon in his first summer league game as a Denver Nuggets rookie, then played in 25 games this past season following his recovery. Johnson has already become an NBA journeyman, playing for three teams (Milwaukee Bucks, Wizards, Dallas Mavericks) in two seasons.

The notable picks in this range from this year: Jaylon Tyson at 20th overall by the Cavaliers during Gansey’s tenure. And Kyshawn George, who is an intriguing, yet inconsistent wing for the Wizards.

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21st pick: Noah Clowney, forward, Alabama

22nd pick: Dariq Whitehead, wing, Duke

23rd pick: Kris Murray, forward, Iowa

Clowney started 60 games for the Nets this past season, averaging 12.3 points on poor shooting efficiency. Whitehead, a former national high school player of the year, was waived by the Nets before the 2025-26 season and spent time in the G League before joining the Memphis Grizzlies on a 10-day contract. Murray (5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds) was in the rotation for the upstart Trail Blazers, who made the playoffs in the Western Conference.

21st pick: Christian Braun, guard, Kansas

22nd pick: Walker Kessler, center, Auburn

23rd pick: David Roddy, forward, Colorado State

That 23rd pick belonged to the Sixers, and was used in the trade to acquire key two-way guard De’Anthony Melton. Braun (12 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists in 44 games in 2025-26) is a rotation player with the Nuggets, including as a rookie on their 2023 title team. Kessler, who joined the Utah Jazz in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster trade, had season-ending shoulder surgery in 2025-26 but is still regarded as a promising young big man (9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds in 201 career games).

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21st pick: Keon Johnson, guard, Tennessee

22nd pick: Isaiah Jackson, big man, Kentucky

23rd pick: Usman Garuba, big man, Spain

Johnson was in the G League this past season following three stints with NBA teams, most recently when he averaged 10.6 points for the Nets in 2024-25. Jackson (6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds in 2025-26) was an Indiana Pacers reserve big man for parts of five seasons, before being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Ivica Zubac trade. Garuba was last in the NBA in 2023-24, and is back in his hometown playing for EuroLeague power Real Madrid. He tore his Achilles tendon last month.

Two notable picks in this range in this draft: Jalen Johnson at No. 20, who is now a versatile All-Star and franchise cornerstone for the Hawks. And Quentin Grimes at No. 25, the Sixers’ guard who now enters unrestricted free agency following last summer’s messy restricted free agency.