Philadelphia 76ers Hopes Go Beyond 2017 NBA Draft.
By Bret Stuter
The Philadelphia 76ers have a solid cast of rookies with elite upside. Don’t limit this team to the results of the 2017 NBA Draft. The draft is just the next pit stop.
The Philadelphia 76ers finally have currency on the roster, perhaps more than many realize. On one hand, with two players already among the top tier of the 2016-2017 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year in Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, the front court appears to be very solid.
Or so it seems for now.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia 76ers back court may be equally “set”, albeit in a longer time frame. The team now anticipates the return of 2016 NBA Draft first selection Ben Simmons in February 2017. With the team committing Simmons to the point guard role, that establishes a very curious future for this team.
Brown gave Ben Simmons his first half hour point guard test. Also "significant" first today, free throws on court no boot, both sneakers on.
— brianseltzer (@brianseltzer) December 13, 2016
On a parallel track, the team is slowly developing shooting guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. At only 6.7 minutes per game, it’s a slow climb indeed. But the team has veteran Gerald Henderson for two years. Similarly, Nik Stauskas has a two-year shelf life with the team. Only Luwawu-Cabarrot is a 76ers shooting guard until 2020. In fact, he joins Simmons and Saric as the only players with that commitment.
But don’t expect Joel Embiid to be going anywhere.