In the weeks ahead, the debate will rage over the strengths and weaknesses of Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram. But what does each add to the Philadelphia 76ers roster today?
It’s an easy trap to fall into. We see a player with a huge ceiling, and we want that player on our team. Each team, each fan-base, is subject to see what that prospect can do in a perfect environment. But the reality of any professional sports team is that perfection never seems to happen. We look at the scoring… oh how we love to fixate on the offense of an NBA prospect. Scoring is just one of a myriad of traits and skills needed to become a quality NBA professional basketball player.
We know that Ben Simmons is a 6’10” field general. We know that he can run the floor. We know that 6’9″ Brandon Ingram is a shooter. We know he can score.
But what can they do for the Philadelphia 76ers?
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Lost in the dialogue right now is the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers are very young. A team with a token veteran or two scattered among a crowd of young talented NBA players. Some of the current roster will assume key reserve roles with their respective teams in the NBA,whether the Philadelphia 76ers or elsewhere. Some of the current roster will assume productive starting roles with their NBA teams. Finally, a few players currently on the roster, maybe one or two, will truly lead the NBA in their position and become NBA perennial All-Stars.
But for today, we’re still trying to decide how to fit together the pieces of this 10-72 team. All we have is the current roster, the potential to swap some parts out, and three NBA draft prospects, to play more competitively going forward. Some hot take pundits take a look at the Philadelphia 76ers, and then proceed to rant why the Sixers do not deserve a prospect like Simmons or Ingram. In their eyes, we don’t deserve them. Others likes ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith, does not believe that Ben Simmons is a fit in Philadelphia, that the 76ers fans demand a solid work ethic and are not fans to spare fragile feelings. Some simply say the team is bad, and it will take years to fix it.
Well enough I say…
The gift of an NBA career is truly a blessing unto itself. For every NBA player, there are hundreds who never quite made it every year. The opportunity to play competitively at the professional level is not about dummying it down so everyone gets a smile on their face at the end of the day. In the NBA, competition and the chance of success or failure is the constant. If you have been blessed with skills that give you a competitive advantage, you do everything in your power to improve. The next wave of even better skill-sets is already knocking on the door.
Philadelphia 76ers fans “get it”. The discussions I’ve witnessed, and contributed to, are not discussions about ticket sales, big names, or stretch limos, or even shoe deals. The fans of the Philadelphia 76ers have one simple question to anyone who would dare to don the jersey: What can you do for the Philadelphia 76ers.
You have to earn your way in Philly. We have known greats of the NBA: Allen Iverson, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Darryl Dawkins, Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and more. Whoever is chosen, you would be well advised not to arrive expecting to be treated like a superstar. You must earn your way to the hearts of this fan-base.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers Have A Huge Decision to make...
So what can you do for the Philadelphia 76ers? You can pick up a basketball, march onto that basketball court, and show us what you got, for starters.