The Sixer Sense
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5 Reasons to not be Worried About the Philadelphia 76ers

By Josh Wilson

Mar 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) high fives forward Robert Covington (33) from the court against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) high fives forward Robert Covington (33) from the court against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Players have had a chance to see the floor due to this losing and develop

One of the most underrated parts of compiling a roster designed to lose is that players who probably wouldn’t get much more than an average of 5 minutes per game on any other team get a true chance to shine on the Sixers’ roster. It’s hard to imagine where players like Jerami Grant, Hollis Thompson, and arguably even Isaiah Canaan and JaKarr Sampson would be without having a chance to play on the Sixers.

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One other name that comes to mind with getting a chance to shine on the Sixers and running with it is rookie T.J. McConnell. McConnell went undrafted this season, but came onto the Sixers in the preseason looking to shine, and shine he did. He kept outdoing the other backcourt members that seemed like locks (Pierre Jackson was one of those players) and by the time the Sixers were a handful of games in, he was named the starter. No one in the NBA saw it coming, and McConnell wouldn’t have gotten an opportunity like this anywhere else. Now, if the Sixers didn’t have the room to take a gamble on him, he wouldn’t be worth anything if they wanted to trade him. But now, they could get a second-round draft pick for him.

Jerami Grant is another one of these players who has gotten lots of exposure. Grant leads the Sixers — who have the most blocks in the NBA — in blocks this year, and has been an incredible defender. He has great length and can block a shot from anywhere on the floor.

Throughout the rest of this season, as we see Jahlil Okafor taking lower minutes to keep him healthy, we will probably see Richaun Holmes play more, and his value goes up every time he sees the floor. The future of some of these players is probably not with the Sixers, but fans can get excited that they have players with rising value that can be leveraged in trades in the offseason or during next season.

Next: Trade Assets