A huge hole in the Philadelphia 76ers lineup is the defender of an opponent’s marksman wing man. Nicolas Batum or Harrison Barnes are projected as free agents who could make a huge difference next season
The Philadelphia 76ers have some pieces that had worked, do work, and will work moving forward. That is the nexus, the core, group who include Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Jerami Grant, and perhaps Nik Stauskas and T.J. McConnell. The 76ers also have some players whose upside may overshoot their original forecast, and will raise eyebrows eventually in their NBA career.
But the preparation for the 2016-2017 is just weeks from arriving, and the team must make it a priority to sign players who can patrol the perimeter. Golden State Warriors reserve Harrison Barnes and the Charlotte Hornets Nicolas Batum are two players who deserve to be closely watched. They are two players who are projected to free agency, and fit a role that is currently lacking on the 76ers roster: two-way wing players.
But before we break into that analysis, we should reflect on the machinations of who we have on the roster. Who is “in the pipeline” and why are we so quick to abandon their development to jump ahead to a veteran?
Well, let’s start off at a place we know. Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel, by common agreement, are certainly players who will help carry the team to the next level. But the team has two veterans: Carl Landy, and Elton Brand. Both there to mentor the players off the court, and lead these players by their example on the court. It is mind-boggling to see the calm patient influence of either man when they take the floor. Neither is rattled. Both will take what the defense gives them. They are savvy, astute players who show the younger guys the power of being smart on the basketball court.
More from Free Agency
- Grade the Deal: 76ers match Jazz’s wily offer sheet, keep Paul Reed
- Grade the Deal: 76ers sign free agent Mo Bamba, retain Montrezl Harrell
- Philadelphia 76ers add center depth by signing Mo Bamba
- This stunning free agency slip could doom the 76ers next season
- 5 best remaining free agents the 76ers should target
Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers have Hollis Thompson, Robert Covington and Jerami Grant at small forward (albeit Grant will play power for the team as well), and the line-up has Isaiah Canaan and Nik Stauskas at shooting guard. Of the five, only Grant excels at defense. Both Covington and Stauskas have been taken under head coach Brett Brown’s wing and been encouraged to develop into two-way threats – but that is a journey of academics, as neither has an example on the floor. Thompson and Canaan are the “artillery” for the team – with Thompson shooting a respectable 38.3% on treys, while “Canaanball” has been shooting 36.0% (an amazing anomaly as he shoots 35.8% from the floor).
That is not to say that players will not develop, but at what pace? Josh Wilson wrote a nice article on Stauskas, highlighting the demands of basketball on the young Canadian. We’ve highlighted Covington’s mid-season surge, as well as the unique qualities of Canaan, and how other NBA teams make use of the three point expert. More recently, we’ve discussed the contribution of Canaan in the future roster. We have some of the parts, but we cannot assemble an engine with these pieces. We need one or two players who can bring all these skills together into one guy on the floor.
That at least is the ultimate hope of Brown, who is noticeably excited at the thought of this off-season and what it can mean for the team:
"Now we will get into the free-agent game. It’s the first time in my time in Philadelphia that we have done that. We haven’t gotten into the free-agent game with anybody. Now what that place means in a quality of wins, we don’t know. We don’t know who the team is yet. But the path and the plan will take a left turn in a more legitimate way in trying to build it in a more expedited way.” – Brown discussing the commitment of the team to improve in the 2016 off-season."
In short, we have players with the pieces, but no one player meeting all the demands of the wing position. That’s why the team needs to shop in free agency (or trade). Much like the big men learning from wiley veterans, the wings need to see a living example of how to improve their overall game. Let’s look at what might be available this off-season: Nicholas Batum or Harrison Barnes.
Next: Batum? Oui!