The Philadelphia 76ers Are Now “Under Construction”
By Bret Stuter
The Philadelphia 76ers now know they have the first pick of the 2016 NBA draft. Now the team is officially “under construction”
You don’t know what you had until you lose it. But by the same token, you never knew what you were missing until you get it. Finally, after many years of longing for the chance to select first in the NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers have discovered that they get to do just that. With a two player footrace in the draft this year, the Philadelphia 76ers cast the only vote that truly matters. Who is more valuable to the NBA? Louisiana State University’s Ben Simmons? Or Duke University’s Brandon Ingram?
There is plenty of time to discuss that later.
What the focus now should be the change of the team’s strategy. With a top draft pick, the Philadelphia 76ers will find an NBA starter in the draft. That’s one. I expect that regardless of whether the selection is Simmons or Ingram, that role will be filled in the back court. The Philadelphia 76ers will figure out a way to get Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, and Dario Saric into the front court. So I will venture a guess at two or three starters there. The remainder will lead the team’s bench, which will give the Philadelphia 76ers the option of rotating with depth and surging at the end of games.
The team will still need a back court starter, and perhaps a wing, from either free agency or trades. What the team will trade to lock down one of those positions is up for debate. Clearly, the Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations will not be delighted if the team end up drafting at all three slots (1,24,26) on draft night, so the latter picks are certainly still on the table.
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But the Sixers have more than the 2016 NBA draft as currency. They could ship the ever elusive Los Angeles Lakers first round pick for a stop gap veteran. The Sixers could surrender their own 2017 NBA first round pick, particularly wise if the team truly generates a huge improvement next year. The team also has rights to the first round pick of the Sacramento Kings, now projected for 2019.
Who would they trade with? It depends on that first pick now, which they have virtually already decided. The team will need to make some hard choices going forward. If the team opts to go a free agency route, the team could take a look at pairing small forward Nicolas Batum with shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. How much will that pairing cost? Plenty.
We’ve not been here in some time, and the NBA has continued on without us. The Philadelphia 76er are not the only team with needs, nor the only team with spendable salary cap space. For every player we contact about interest in joining the Philadelphia 76ers, several other teams will be doing the same. For this off-season to work, we will need to be shrewd in our signings and measure our steps. It does this team no good to make a headline splash if it becomes an anchor to the team within a year. This team has made the turn now, so it’s important to remain even keeled. If we don’t reach up far enough, not enough change happens on the court to gain momentum heading into next year’s off-season. If we reach too far, we overspend, overdraft, or overrate ourselves into grasping at an opportunity that is not yet ours.
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Some would have us shed all but a handful of players. That places a tremendous burden on trust among players who will just be introduced to one another this year. Some would have us wait until the myriad of young players can be properly assessed as to whether they have more upside than first realized. That places a tremendous anchor on the positive momentum.
No, this construction must be prepared to risk a little, and hold a little back. If the team suddenly lines up a starting roster of veterans, the message sent to the players who fought long and hard last season will be the wrong one – it didn’t matter.
This team needs to take some risks, yes. But the greater risks should be invested into the players already on the roster or committed to the team. Whichever player we choose in this NBA draft, we cannot rely upon Brett Brown to mold the team to suit that player’s skill sets. Each brick lain for the foreseeable future must tie into what type of team we want to build. Bryan Colangelo must tap into all his basketball acumen – the second stage – #TrustTheProgress – is now upon his shoulders.
Next: Phildelphia 76ers: It's A New Day
Here is where Colangelo should pull in a favor, get an establish quality veteran on this squad. Colangelo needs to trust this front court, hesitate to pull a trigger on a trade just yet. If the value to Jahlil Okafor is the third round pick of the 2016 draft today, by the NBA trade deadline it will be two first round picks – one of which will be the 2017 NBA draft. We can wait. We’ll have plenty to keep us busy for the next few weeks. Three NBA draft picks to consider. Trades to contemplate. Free agents to feel out. The Philadelphia 76ers have not been in a rush for three years.
It would be wrong to rush now.