Allen Crabbe May be the Philadelphia 76ers Perfect Fit

Allen Crabbe, a player on the rise in the NBA, could be the perfect pickup in free agency this offseason.

The Philadelphia 76ers are going to have to make some free agent signings in the next few offseasons, and signing a player such as Allen Crabbe may help them bring in other free agents later.

Crabbe is no household name by any means, and even some big NBA fans might not know much about him. Even on the Portland Trail Blazers, he is overshadowed by Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who have both had monster seasons.

Crabbe, who will be a restricted free agent on July 1st of this year, has a really remarkable skill set that would fit well with most offenses, and one that would boost the Sixers’ offense up a lot while helping out some of the big men by spacing the floor more. Although it would be nice if Crabbe was a point guard, because the Sixers are lacking a lot in that area, he will do just fine as a shooting guard.

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The Sixers can offer him any amount of money that the Blazers would, and likely would be willing to pay more for Crabbe, which may lure him away from the Blazers. Crabbe’s qualifying offer is under $3 million, so he may be better off refusing that offer from the Blazers and seeing what the free agent market has to offer him.

The only problem with bringing him in is that it would cut minutes — or their existence on the Sixers altogether — for Isaiah Canaan and Nik Stauskas. That would be fine, as long as Crabbe can do a lot of the same things he did in Portland for Philly.

This season, Crabbe is averaging 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. Throughout this season he has boasted a true shooting percentage of 57.2 percent, and he’s been solid from beyond the arc, shooting 39.3 percent.

The shooting guard from Portland can score in any way imaginable. On fast breaks, he can fill the wings and get open for a corner 3-pointer, or he can fill the lane and take the ball in for a slam.

He is tough to defend, because when he gets the ball beyond the arc he can pull up for a jumper, or use his decent ball handling to get him closer to the hoop. His floater is solid, as well. Defenders are often caught off guard when they have to match up against Crabbe because of his versatility on offense.

One of the best moments of his career so far was against the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly after Christmas Day in 2015. The Blazers were without Damian Lillard, and were in the midst of a lot of traveling, despite being on their home court. Going up against LeBron James and the Eastern Conference powerhouse that the Cavs are, the odds did not appear to be in Portland’s favor.

A huge career high 26-point performance from Crabbe, though, would push the Blazers to a huge 105-76 victory over the Cavs. Crabbe stunned everyone in this game, but it just goes to show that if he’s asked to be a leader with intregal guys like Dame out, he can step up.

Another positive aspect that Crabbe brings along is that he’s experienced the playoffs before, something a lot of Philadelpjhia 76ers have yet to experience. I’ve expressed my concerns with that, and I think bringing in free agents with playoff experience is important to minimizing that disaster that could come with a roster full of playoff-newbies.

Crabbe doesn’t seem to be a hugely important player in the Blazers’ playoff run so far, but his defense has been superb up to this point. He’s playing over 25 minutes per game, and his opponents are shooting 12 percent worse from the field when he is defending them, and 19 percent worse from beyond the arc.

Crabbe had solid defense in the regular season, but it wasn’t nearly as good as it’s been since the playoffs began.

I believe the basketball maturity Crabbe showed agains the Cavs when Dame was out shows he can be a great player when he is trusted with responsibility. On the Sixers, he could be a leader right away, and could help the Sixers lure other free agents in who may be skeptical about joining up a team that didn’t even win 50 games over the last three seasons.

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Overall, I think it’s a deal worth pursuing with Crabbe. The Sixers have money to spend, and Crabbe is a player that is on the rise, and looks to only go up from where he is now. With a larger platform and more opportunity to be a leading player in Philly, he could get a lot done with the Sixers.