Christian Wood’s Exodus Signals Philadelphia 76ers Evolution

When Christian Wood signed with the Charlotte Hornets, it signaled a new stage in the evolution of the Philadelphia 76ers

Don’t fault Christian Wood. He played his heart out, rising from the rubble of the 2015-2016 season with a new determination. Not only would he make a roster of an NBA team, but he would make that roster better. You see, Wood knew the agony of defeat more intimately than any of us. His was the image of a young man broken-hearted on NBA draft night in 2015, a young man who knew he could play in the pros but whose name was never called.

But his NBA story was not over. He signed with the Houston Rockers summer league and played well enough to catch the eye of Sam Hinkie and the Philadelphia 76ers.

And so, he began, or nearly began, his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Delaware 87ers, last year. Wood was very talented, but raw, and that meant he was the first to be reassigned to the development league team, but also to be one of the first names called up. In the off-season, he made it a point the remain with the Philadelphia 76ers and train daily, working on shots, strength, and defense. In the summer league, his first opportunity to showcase his talents, he stood out as a potential starter in the NBA.

He stood out so well, that the Charlotte Hornets signed him to their roster:

Did something break? Wasn’t the idea of the Philadelphia 76ers to develop players for their own roster? With Wood’s performance in summer league, shouldn’t it have been the Philadelphia 76ers with a contract offer?

Perhaps.  But the Philadelphia 76ers on-ramp to young prospects hoping to enter the NBA has been removed from the loading docks.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  It’s neither. It’s merely the next stage of the evolution of the Philadelphia 76ers.  That means the fans will face a new challenge of applauding a team that leaves talent on the table.

Before now, the fans embraced any talented NBA prospect who could contribute to the Philadelphia 76ers improvement. We cheered the three-point barrage of the hot-handed Isaiah Canaan, we were excited with the resurrection of the 76ers play under the leadership of Ish Smith, we even found it in our hearts to embrace the potential Sonny Weems, JaKarr Sampson, and Kendall Marshall.

Those days are behind us now.

Now, the team is building to the specifications of head coach Brett Brown. That means that shooting and scoring and defense and handling the ball is not enough. Now those skills must fit what the team is trying to do, what the tempo and the design of the roster is trying to accomplish. It’s no longer that young players do not fit our scheme, but simply that the team is working towards a roster balance at position, and with age spectrum.

While the team allowed a young man play his heart out for the hopes of an NBA contract to go unrewarded,  it focused it’s attention to another NBA veteran, San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili.

And so it will now go. The team that once led the NBA in developing talent and with inviting the overlooked NBA hopefuls to the pros is focusing on bringing veteran pros to the team, sometimes at the expense of losing an opportunity to retain talent.

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It’s a narrower path now.  There is a trust in an expectation that the decisions of the team’s front office will ultimately prove to be correct.   That will likely not prove to be the case all the time.  We had no offer for Christian Wood, which forced him to sign elsewhere.  We will be paring down the roster soon enough, and some of the players waived will find NBA homes elsewhere.

The Philadelphia 76ers are evolving.  The team hopes that it has enough talent on-board now to weather the storm over the course of the next year or two, to improve to a point where the talent is sufficient to earn a playoff spot, to attract more talent, and to build momentum.  That remains to be seen.  For young players still hoping to land on the Philadelphia 76ers roster, that window seems to be shut now.  Much like the arc, the ship is boarded up now.   We’re about to set sail.