The Texas Tech standout offers the elite floor spacing and pick-and-roll savvy that the Philadelphia 76ers lack, potentially easing the playmaking burden on Tyrese Maxey with his offensive feel.
The Philadelphia 76ers should be searching for players who make life easier for their stars.
That is why Texas Tech's Christian Anderson Jr. should be on their radar in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Anderson is not the biggest guard in the class. He is not the most explosive athlete. He is not the kind of downhill force who overwhelms defenses with power or vertical burst. But he has a skill set Philadelphia badly needs: shooting, playmaking, pick-and-roll feel, and the ability to keep an offense ticking.
For a team that traded away Jared McCain and later watched him thrive in Oklahoma City, Anderson could offer a similar type of value with one important difference. McCain gave the Thunder shooting, spacing, and confidence. Anderson can provide some of that same floor-spacing ability, but with more playmaking ability.
Anderson averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals at Texas Tech, showing that his offensive game is not just based on shot-making. He can run pick-and-roll, manipulate defenders, hit rollers in stride, and make reads based on defensive rotations.
The Sixers have needed more of that.
Tyrese Maxey is an All-NBA-level guard, but Philadelphia should not want him carrying every ounce of perimeter creation. Maxey is at his best when he can attack, score, and use his speed to pressure defenses. Adding another guard who can initiate offense, make reads, and hit open threes would allow Maxey to spend more time as a scorer instead of always being asked to create everything as an engine.
Anderson’s pick-and-roll feel is the defining skill of his game. He understands pace. He can snake around screens, keep his dribble alive, and force bigs to make decisions. If defenders go under, he has the shooting touch to punish them. If they chase over, he can get into the middle of the floor and create passing windows, his feel in these situations may be the best in the entire draft class.
Still, there are limitations.
Anderson’s athletic profile is not overwhelming. He is not a high-end burst guard, and that could limit his ceiling as a primary creator in the NBA. If he cannot consistently pressure the rim, teams may try to run him off the line and force him into tougher decisions inside the arc. Smaller guards have to be elite in certain areas to stay on the floor, especially in playoff settings.
That is the concern Philadelphia would have to weigh.
But Anderson does not need to become a franchise point guard to help the Sixers. He needs to shoot, make smart reads, run organized offense, and keep the floor spaced. Those are skills that translate, especially on a team with stars who already draw defensive attention.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].
