Philadelphia 76ers’ Core: Ultimate Roster Analysis and Predictions

Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The New York Knicks won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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Nov 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown talks with his players during a timeout in the first half of game action against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown talks with his players during a timeout in the first half of game action against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After the 2016 NBA Draft, Are we certain of who has made enough of a case to remain with the Philadelphia 76ers into next season?

With the first pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select… Ben Simmons.  With the 24th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and with the 26th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Furkan Korkmaz.

Three new faces.  Three more NBA rookies to add to the roster already swelling with the returned-to-health Joel Embiid and the long-anticipated arrival of international player Dario Saric.

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Will Saric play for the 76ers this year?  Will the Philadelphia 76ers stash Luwawu and Korkmaz, or will the team make room on the roster for both this season?

And so it goes.  We are about to begin a grand game of “Booby Trap”,  the NBA version where the front office tries to pull players off the roster without disrupting the core of the team.  But at this point, who might that core be?

I don’t think we can predict with any certainty as the team concludes the next phase of the off-season: free agency and the trade period.  Nor do I think that anyone in the Philadelphia 76ers organization can point to the roster at this moment and determine who will make the jump to the 2016-2017 roster.   The reason?  The gears are still moving.    It’s like trying to tell the hour of the day by looking at the calendar – there is simply too much detail behind the scenes to give an accurate reading.

But I never scare off that easily.  I will wade into the minefield because the Philadelphia 76ers fanbase deserves to see what we are currently working with.

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