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Did The Sixers Have A Successful Offseason?

Josh Wilson
Josh Wilson

The Sixer Sense

Mar 18, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers mascot Franklin during the second half of a game against the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 94-83. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Here at The Sixer Sense, we are dedicated to giving readers something to read and talk about year round, especially during the offseason. Although the offseason hasn’t officially wrapped up, the initial rush of free agency has completed, and so has draft night.

So, all things considered, all transactions thought through, did the Philadelphia 76ers have a successful offseason?

Once again, Sam Hinkie was highly criticized, but also highly defended. One notable thing this offseason taught us was that with Hinkie, it’s a very polarizing opinion. You either “Trust The Process,” or you hate every living breathing creature that has ever uttered a word about trusting the process.

Lets start our look at the offseason by looking at an ongoing investigation, that fans really wish would end soon.

Next: Point Guard Uncertainty

Jan 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard

Tony Wroten

(8) shoots in front of the defense of Atlanta Hawks guard

Dennis Schroder

(17) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The point guard position is one of the most crucial parts to a starting lineup. After all, that’s the player bringing the ball up the court, setting plays, and assisting the team. It’s the player who initiates just about everything that isn’t a fast break or forced turnover.

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Too bad for the Sixers, they still don’t know who’s taking the responsibility of holding that role. Plenty of names have been brought up. Isaiah Canaan seems to be a decent option. Ish Smith seems to be one of the fan’s favorites, despite the fact that he has yet to be re-signed.

Pierre Jackson and Scottie Wilbekin were both signed, and I like either of them at the position, too, out of the candidates currently on the Sixers’ squad. They both bring things to the table that I like to see in a starter, but still, don’t show anything that isn’t easily replaceable.

My favorite hypothetical move is Tony Wroten making the switch to point guard as he recovers from his knee injury. His 16.9 points per game and 5.2 assists last season impressed me.

Then there’s those who are looking towards the outside hire. Some on Reddit even suggested looking at Mario Chalmers since the Miami Heat are looking to dump his salary. We posted on it, and overwhelmingly, lots of people like the idea of Chalmers.

Still, some do not like the idea.

All in all, the point is that it’s anyone’s guess who will get the starting position. We can speculate all we want, but we have no idea who is starting. I think that was the biggest failure of the Sixers’ offense, but it can also be looked at as a bright side.

The Sixers still have time to figure it out. Training camp hasn’t started, nor has the preseason. All of this time left for the regular season with no named starter will keep candidates motivated to play well. Even throughout the year, they could be replaced at any given time after being named starter, and will be playing at the highest level possible.

To me, the point guard situation is the worst part of the offseason, and that hasn’t even been that big of an issue. Now let’s talk about some (mostly) positive moves made this offseason.

Next: Kings Trade

April 5, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard

Nik Stauskas

(10) shoots the basketball against Utah Jazz forward

Trevor Booker

(33) during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

One of the best moves the Sixers made was a trade with the Sacramento Kings. Within this trade, the Sixers acquired shooting guard Nik Stauskas, power forward Carl Landry, and center Jason Thompson. While Landry and Thompson don’t excite me too much, I think Stauskas is going to play a big role for the team next year.

Stauskas has his rookie year out of the way, and only averaged just over four points per game in 15 minutes. I do think he will start for the Sixers, and play am integral role in the Sixers offense.

If you don’t know what Stauskas can do, take a look at this highlight video from his rookie season.

I personally think Stauskas is great at getting near the hoop and scoring. He isn’t scared of defenders bigger than him because he has a great ability to shoot with either hand and change the ball’s position in midair.

ALSO ON SIXER SENSE: Carl Landry Will Work Well With Sixers’ Front Court

Although at-the-rim shots are his speciality, we most often saw him taking three pointers last season, where he only shot 32%. He’s got to improve that if he’s going to take so many threes.

This move was one of the best things the Sixers have done in the past few years. They got plenty of players, as well as draft picks and rights to draft picks. They took advantage of the Kings’ want to free up some money.

Next: Big Man Downside, Big Man Upside

Jul 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center

Jahlil Okafor

(8) holds the ball away from New York Knicks forward

Alex Kirk

(53) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Third is the big man situation. Coming into this offseason, it was an optimistic feel for all that we would finally see the front court take shape, finally seeing Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid take the court together. Well, apparently destiny had other plans for the Sixers this year.

Initially, it was reported that Embiid was having setbacks with his foot, but this turned into something much worse. His navicular bone was re-broken, which put him out for the rest of this season.

I know, this is seeming like one of the negative parts of the offseason, and it is, but it was somewhat overshadowed by a replacement that the Sixers picked up in the draft, former Duke Blue Devil, Jahlil Okafor.

Okafor is a dominant big man who is going to get a chance to start right away in his rookie season, and get a shot at revitalizing a dying franchise. He’s a huge piece of the rebuild.

The issue comes to mind: who is going to get the minutes when both Okafor and Embiid are healthy? I’m not sure this really should be a pressing issue at the time. Embiid will be out for at least all of this season, and will be recovering and on limited minutes next season. It could be two years down the road before both of these players are at full health at the same time.

Next: Successful Offseason? Or Not...

Jan 16, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center

Nerlens Noel

(4) signs autographs for fans prior to agate against the New Orleans Pelicans at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

I would consider this year’s offseason for the Sixers a success. Although I’m still disappointed that they have failed to insert themselves into the free agency market, I feel that they did a good job elsewhere.

The Sixers saw a hole in Embiid, and saw that he was likely going to miss this year, and quickly made up for that with their top-tier draft pick. Getting Okafor was a great move, and I’m very excited to see what type of impact he makes on the team this year. I’m looking for him to make a run at rookie of the year.

The point guard situation could be looked at as a negative, but let’s remember the Sixers now have a surplus of guards to choose from. Just because none of them are seen as true “starting guards,” doesn’t mean that none of the players they have to choose from can’t grow into being just that.

The team signed plenty of guards to take a stab at the starting position, another positive, and another way they’re looking to turn every bad thing into a good thing.

I was impressed with how often they turned bad things into good things.

All in all, the offseason could have been better if they looked towards free agency more, and obviously wouldn’t have been as dismal if Embiid didn’t re-break his foot, but I believe it was successful. This year won’t set them up to be true playoff contenders, but it was a step in the right direction.

Next: Sixers Point Guard Options, Ish Smith

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Josh Wilson

Josh Wilson

Josh is currently the Managing Editor of FanSided.com. He has worked with FanSided in some capacity for a total of eight years, starting as a contributor for Swarm and Sting, Toro Times, and HoopsHabit in 2015. He served as a site expert for The Sixer Sense during 'The Process' years while starting his educational track at Temple University as a journalism student. He later transferred to the State University of New York at Cortland where he completed his B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in journalism. For FanSided, Josh worked as Operations Assistant before taking on a role as Editorial Director of the NBA Division, a role he held for three years. Along the way he also helped start and lead the FanSided fellowship program which created a path for several young journalists to start their careers in sports media. Nothing is more important to Josh than Yankee wins and his family.