The Philadelphia 76ers acquired a few undrafted free agent rookies following the conclusion of the 2016 NBA Draft.
The Philadelphia 76ers are once again taking advantage of the luxuries that come along with being in the offseason — adding a few extra players to their roster that is beginning to take shape. Instead of being limited to 15 players like during the regular season, the Sixers can hold up to 20 players on their roster.
Last season, the Sixers capitalized on a solid drafting of Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes by signing Christian Wood — a player who was once a first-round projection that fell to the point of being undrafted — and T.J. McConnell. Both players would stick with the team until the regular season. McConnell was with the team for a large chunk of the year, and Wood was off-and-on, often playing for the Sixers’ D-League affiliate the Delaware 87ers.
This season, the Sixers have taken advantage of players that didn’t get drafted.
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The first signing the Sixers made was of James Webb III out of Boise State. Webb is a swingman who will get a chance to compete for a final roster spot, according to Sham Charania of The Vertical. Most notably about Webb — as it looks like a lot of the Sixers free agents will share this same quality — is his solid 3-point shooting. It’s no secret that the Sixers currently struggle in that area of their game, so they’re looking to add players who can pull them out of the hole they’re in.
The second signing the Sixers inked was Shawn Long out of Louisiana-Lafayette according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. This one holds true to the 3-point shooting, as he shot 34.1 percent from beyond the arc this season. But what’s cool about Long is that he’s a post player, so he can act as a stretch four or even five, which was what president of player personnel Marc Eversely told Pompey.
Long’s head coach Bob Marlin told The Advocate that Long was aware that he could go undrafted, and was in “good spirits” after not being selected. Marlin also said he believes Philly is a good spot for him, and that the Sixers were the first team that Long worked out for leading up to the draft.
Long signed a similar deal to Webb, both two years, both partially guaranteed. While I think that both have a shot to make the team, I believe that Webb has more of a realistic chance of being on that final 15-man roster.
With these types of signings, it’s tough to know who has a real shot and who doesn’t. Often, these players are brought in during training camp to firstly see what they can do and if there’s any diamonds in the rough, and secondly to motivate other players to play harder to secure themselves a roster spot.
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With these two signings, the Sixers roster is set to be at 17 players overall after free agency kicks in (Elton Brand, Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith will all be unrestricted free agents on July 1st). They can add three more players for training camp, before having to let someone go, which leaves a lot of possibilities open for trades and the free agent market.