Man, if there was ever a time where being a fan of the 76ers felt like the biggest emotional rollercoaster in all of pro basketball, right now would definitely be it. Philadelphia basketball fanatics of the world, I hear you, I feel you and believe me, I wish better times would already come your way and they will, but for now I guess it’s best to just continue to trust the process? It’s hard to see year in and year out the 76ers always topping the NBA championship odds lists and yet always come up short.
With the 76ers coming up short yet again, their third time in the last four years and even after going through some major coaching and front office changes last season, what can be done now to finally get past that hurdle and finally get to the title contention picture? Let’s break this down.
Season Summary, Oh So Close Yet Oh So Far!
This season saw the Philadelphia 76ers earn the Eastern Conference’s No.1 seed for the first time in 20 years, an impressive feat for a team that has been on a non-ending quest to give their loyal fan base a basketball team to be proud of, something that hasn’t happened since the Allen Iverson days. Last offseason saw the Sixers part ways with former head coach Brett Brown to bring in star coach Doc Rivers and see if his winning ways could be the answer to all of the team’s problems. By bringing a guy like Rivers in, with proven credibility when it comes to his career both as a player and now as a coach, the idea was to get a man who the team’s main guys like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris would listen to, and it worked very well.
The season saw Joel Embiid play the best basketball of his career, having him at the top of the MVP voting lists and Ben Simmons becoming more and more of a multifaceted player who can now work as the versatile guard that this team so desperately needs. And as for Tobias Harris, he already knew what it was like to thrive with Doc Rivers as his HC and in Philadelphia it all just felt like a reunion of sorts. Rivers made the Sixers believe in the true idea of forming, having and maintaining a winning culture and it showed game in and game out throughout the whole season.
The playoffs saw the Sixers wipe out the Westbrook and Beal Wizards by 4-1 before advancing to their semifinal series against the Hawks where they ended up losing after seven games. With the season behind them and the doubts looming over more and more as time goes by, what’s next?
Free Agency and The Draft, Two Major Stepping Stones
As soon as the season is over the 76ers will have to take some serious decisions when it comes to how to move on with the immediate rebuild of their roster. Philadelphia is ready to see some of their role players hit the free agency market. Guys like Danny Green, who was the starting forward for the team during the regular season and playoffs, Dwight Howard who played as Embiid’s backup at center and Mike Scott and Furkan Korkmaz who were two of the best 3-point shooters in the team will all hit the free agency market. If Philadelphia wants to do any real dealings in the offseason, hitting the trade market wisely is a must, especially taking into account what Harris, Embiid and Simmons are all making, max-level money from their contracts.
In the upcoming draft, the Sixers are slated with the 28th pick of the first round, thanks to their dominating record from last season. With that in mind and taking into account Embiid’s injury problems and the fact that Howard will most likely leave in the FA market, drafting a young center is key here. Charles Bassey, center from Western Kentucky, works as a very good option here as well as Day´Ron Sharpe, from UNC. But given that the Sixers love drafting the best shooting prospects available, if Arizona State forward Marcus Bagley, Michigan State forward Aaron Henry and Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas don’t be surprised if the Sixers target any of them.
Is It Time To Split Up Simmons and Embiid?
This might not be the place to pin the blame but if push comes to shove and only stats and playing powers come into place, there is absolutely no exception to the thought that if the Sixers want to succeed, keeping Embiid and maybe moving on from Ben Simmons might be the best move to make.
Ben Simmons underperformed dramatically against the Hawks, especially when he was needed the most and if he’s being regarded as one of the two pivotal pieces for Philadelphia’s title contention ideas, then he needs to be able to offer way more than what he has shown. Simmons might not be the most gifted scorer around but his defensive and passing skills are elite and can put him up in the top of any team’s trade wishes if he was to be put on the market.
Simmons could definitely benefit from either moving to a team where he can position himself more in a forward role instead of having to play the part of the ball hugging point guard or from the Sixers finding him that point guard for him to transition. The point here is, if the Sixers want to succeed moving forward, something drastic needs to happen with Ben Simmons.
