NBA draft 2019: What time will the Sixers pick?

The 2019 NBA draft begins Thursday in New York City at 7:30 p.m., and the Sixers will head in holding the 24th pick in the first round and four additional picks in the second round (Nos. 33, 34, 42, 54).

Obviously, we have no idea what will happen. Inquirer sports writers Keith Pompey and Marc Narducci both think the Sixers will take North Carolina star Cameron Johnson, while Sarah Todd believes the team will select Washington’s Matisse Thybulle. Columnist David Murphy predicts the team will choose Virginia guard Ty Jerome in an attempt to replace Landry Shamet, whom the Sixers traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Tobias Harris deal.

But there’s one thing we can predict — what time the Sixers will draft tonight.

During the first round, each team has five minutes to make its pick, but not every team will take that long to make the selection. If the Sixers don’t trade out of the No. 24 pick, you can expect the team to go on the clock for their selection shortly after 10 p.m., based on the last few years of the draft.

ESPN will once again broadcast the draft live, with Rece Davis returning to host for the eighth time. But all eyes will once again be on the Twitter feed of NBA newsbreaker Adrian Wojnarowski, whom ESPN has freed up to share the picks on social media before they’re announced live on TV. This is a change from last year, when Wojnarowski broke out his thesaurus to toss out not-so-subtle “Woj Bombs" despite ESPN publicly announcing its reporters would not break the news prior to broadcasting them.

When: Thursday, June 20

Where: Barclays Center, New York City, N.Y.

Host: Rece Davis

Time: 7:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Streaming: ESPN app (requires cable authentication), ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Playstation Vue, DirecTV Now (all require a subscription).

Staff writers Keith Pompey, Sarah Todd, and Marc Narducci will be covering all the action live on Twitter. Notes and observations about the draft will be at Inquirer.com/Sixers and in our Locked On 76ers podcast.

ESPN will air a special two-hour edition of The Jump at 3 p.m., hosted by Rachel Nichols live from the “green carpet” at the Barclays Center. The network’s live coverage will pick up again during the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, hosted by Temple grad Kevin Negandhi and Sage Steele, which will lead ESPN’s pre-draft coverage at 7 p.m.

ESPN NBA draft host Rece Davis will be joined by several analysts during the broadcast, including analysts Jay Bilas, Chauncey Billups, Mike Schmitz and Bobby Marks. Wojnarowski will also appear on TV, where it’ll likely be difficult to pull himself away from his phone.

• Keith Pompey writes that after past missteps, the pressure is on Sixers’ Elton Brand to make the right pick.

• Mike Jensen writes about Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter and the Philly barbershop conversation that was key to his development.

• Hunter won’t be the only Philly influence at the top of tonight’s draft. Duke freshman Cam Reddish hails from Norristown, and drew high praise from teammate and likely No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson.

• Needing a viable backup for Joel Embiid, Sarah Todd analyzes five big men the Sixers could target in tonight’s draft.

• Ed Barkowitz looks at notable past picks the Sixers have selected at the spots they’re drafting in tonight, barring any last-minute trades.

• Staff mock drafts: Keith Pompey | Sarah Todd | Marc Narducci | David Murphy

1. New Orleans

2. Memphis

3. New York

4. New Orleans

5. Cleveland

6. Phoenix

7. Chicago

8. Atlanta

9. Washington

10. Atlanta

11. Minnesota

12. Charlotte

13. Miami

14. Boston

15. Detroit

16. Orlando

17. Brooklyn

18. Indiana

19. San Antonio

20. Boston

21. Oklahoma City

23. Utah

24. Sixers

25. Portland

26. Cleveland

27. Brooklyn

28. Golden State

29. San Antonio

30. Milwaukee