How Returning Players Can Bolster 76ers
By Bret Stuter
Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard
Tony Wroten(1) before action against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. The Cavaliers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
How Returning Players Can Bolster 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers just accomplished their first win. But the season is now a mere 20 games old in an 82 game season. The team is last in many NBA categories, but the most important category is the standings. They are currently dead last and are the odds on favorite to finally win the top draft choice in the 2016 NBA draft. But that is a discussion for another place, another time.
The 76ers are still assembling the team that sits on paper.
You see, there have been injured players since the season began. One such player is Robert Covington, and you have witnessed how much more competitive the team has become since he has regained his shooting accuracy. In the process, he’s discovered he is very talented on the defensive side of the ball as well. But the Sixers have Kendall Marshall, Tony Wroten Jr., and Carl Landry coming back at some point. Will that disrupt the fragile team mechanics which are beginning to take shape, or can the returning players help the team?
The fact is that returning players can bolster 76ers this year. Here’s how:
The Philadelphia 76ers have so much going against them this season, some by design and some simply by a constant throw of bad luck. The team planned to load up on youth this season, but did not factor in the challenges of managing those young men on a losing team. Pockets filled with money, struggles on the basketball court, and a deep desire to turn things around as quickly as possible have made this team somewhat volatile.
On that same front, the team did not resign any free agents from last year, and had counted on the few returning players to carry new faces through the early months of the season. That didn’t happen. But now that some players have gotten NBA experience, they are ripe for the “next wave” of mentoring. The team roster of Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, T.J. McConnell, Nik Stauskas, and Hollis Thompson are raw. Okafor is a nineteen year old who suddenly has found himself carrying an NBA team on his back, a very bad team. Noel is a center turned power forward who isn’t meshing on the court with his center. Stauskas is the shooter without accuracy, whose largest problem is finding confidence. McConnell is a pass first player, but someone who must learn to make his own shots. Finally Thompson is a solid supporting role player. But this team is overflowing with supporting role players right now.
What can any of the returning players do for this team?
Next: Take The Heat Off