Reason I: Simmons’ Coming
The Philadelphia 76ers are winning despite having not had the services of two key players: Jerryd Bayless and Ben Simmons. Very soon, that will change.
Ben Simmons is projected to return in February 2017, which is just a matter of days away now. When he arrives, he changes the team’s chemistry, lineup, and versatility immensely. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing will depend on the moves the team makes in anticipation.
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Simmons will certainly need minutes on the court, and minutes on the bench. With the recent play of T.J.McConnell, Nik Stauskas, and even Sergio Rodriguez, the team can pull the minutes to rest Simmons. But when Simmons is on the floor, who will sit in the back court with him?
We looked at the current possibilities of players who could play alongside Simmons from the current roster. While combining Simmons with Gerald Henderson, Nik Stauskas, and even Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot all have intriguing possibilities, the combined bits of each would make the ideal player. The veteran savvy of Henderson, the long range scoring of Stauskas, and the audacity and upside of Luwawu-Cabarrot would be ideal.
Allan Crabbe is such a player. Crabbe is playing in his fourth NBA season, He is shooting a career 40 percent from three-point range, and he has huge upside.