Have Philadelphia 76ers Bubble Players Turned The Corner?

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Nik Stauskas and Hollis Thompson were at risk of not making the team, but the pair of Philadelphia 76ers teammates are showing signs of life and turning the corner towards a better NBA player. At times…

In the off-season, there was a good debate over which players might survive to make the roster for this year. Two names that came up, frequently on the “might be gone” list, were Nik Stauskas and Hollis Thompson. Thompson was a veteran of the group who had never truly brought his defense up to his offense level. Stauskas was brought in to help space the floor, sink the three-point shots, and ultimately join Robert Covington in specializing in a two-way threat on the basketball court.

In the 2015-2016, neither plan seemed to gain much traction.

But, when the the 2016-2017 season began. veterans Stauskas and Thompson had more remaining in the proverbial gas tank than a sunsetting promise of an NBA career. Both players. perhaps at the bottom rungs of the team preseason rankings, learned to deliver shots that scored, and to man up on defense when it counted.

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Well, at times, they do.

The Philadelphia 76ers are already down on healthy bodies so far this season, with neither Ben Simmons nor Nerlens Noel available 25 percent of the way through the season. Add to that the mere cameo appearance of projected starting point guard Jerryd Bayless, and minutes and load restrictions on both Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, and the current situation has forced the Philadelphia 76ers to squeeze this roster for minutes from all remaining players.

Some have stepped up, while others have not. Ultimately, the uncertainty in this time of who will be hot and who will be cold on any given night has needlessly complicated the very complex task of head coach Brett Brown.