Depth Chart Analysis Defines Philadelphia 76ers 2017 NBA Draft Picks

Depth Chart Analysis Defines where the Philadelphia 76ers focus in the 2017 NBA Draft. The team must reinforce the roster to continue to improve at key positions

The Philadelphia 76ers are no longer a team of “come one come all. Open Tryouts!” as far as their roster is constructed. The experiment and acquisition phase of the championship build is history. Now, the even more important assemblage of the Philadelphia 76ers roster takes place.  So far, I must say that Bryan Colangelo has done an adequate job.

I had hoped the team would find a way to retain Nerlens Noel, but the front office elected to cash in the chips on both he and Ersan Ilyasova at the trade deadline. Both players held expiring contracts which the 76ers were not confident in renewing.

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Openings And How To Fill Them

Now some of those issues are financial in nature. In fact, we’ve covered that topic recently.  Since that affects roster decisions, it’s a good read before going further. I won’t be covering salary cap issues here.

But what I will cover is the Philadelphia 76ers roster openings in the 2017-2018 season.  Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers return 13 veterans. Both center/power forward Tiago Splitter and guard Sergio Rodriguez enter free agency this year.  Let’s examine how that impacts our depth chart.

2017-2018 DEPTH CHART

CENTER                                                POWER FORWARD               SMALL FORWARD
Joel Embiid  (18)                                 Dario Saric                              Robert Covington (18)
Jahlil Okafor  (trade rumors)           Shawn Long                            Justin Anderson
Richaun Holmes

Shooting Guard                                 Point Guard
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot            Ben Simmons
Nik Stauskas  (18)                             T.J.McConnell
Gerald Henderson  (18)                    Jerryd Bayless

Now that is just the beginning of the tale. The team contracts for Gerald Henderson, Joel Embiid, Nik Stauskas, and Robert Covington expire at the end of the upcoming season.  While the team will likely be willing to part ways with Henderson, there will be a scramble to retain the play of Joel Embiid, Robert Covington and Nik Stauskas.

Fissures

Now you begin to see fissures in the roster going forward. Factor in the anticipated trade of Jahlil Okafor, and the roster begins to appear rather shallow.

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That is the starting point for the true objective GM.  It’s not about loading up the roster with shiny players who have a high projected value. It’s about the chess moves of improving this roster with players who deliver immediately at high salary cost (free agents), or deliver eventually at high development costs (draft picks).

Draft Board Ranking

At this stage, every team’s white board is set. That white board has the areas of the team at risk (whether by attrition or production) and the upgrades to that position via free agency or the NBA Draft.

With that in mind, let’s examine the Philadelphia 76er current roster as is.  Primary vulnerabilities lie in the small forward and power forward roles.  But examine more closely.   You will see the Philadelphia 76ers also run shallow at center and shooting guard in 2018.  So the time to address those positions are now.

Centered On Improving

In fact, if the team is truly of the opinion that center Jahlil Okafor is not a fit on this team, then the center position becomes a true need this season.  And in the 2017 NBA Draft, no replacement is readily available.

So in the 2017 off-season, the team must either: reinforce via the NBA Draft (and with five picks, it’s possible to address all needs), plug gaps in the roster via free agency, or ride it out and try to resolve with new draft picks and new free agents in 2018.

But waiting means the team works current players harder.

Power Forward Powerless

So that’s the rub of the team right now.  So how does the team address this white board? Well, in the words of President Bryan Colangelo, the team is looking at reinforcing power forward:

Now you know why.  Right now, the team has Dario Saric and Shawn Long at the position. Both are returning off their rookie seasons. On Bryan Colangelo’s team,  he prefers to have a veteran at each role on the team.

Forward To Small Forward

So that turn’s the team’s attention to the small forward position. This is one of the strengths of this draft.  And that means the Philadelphia 76ers have some choices at the third pick of the NBA Draft.  Right now, the team will likely have the pick of the litter of Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, and Jonathon Isaac. Who does the team select?   That’s up for debate. But the team can draft a solid player who could likely become an All-Star for the team.

So now the team has addressed, in word, the two glaring holes in the roster for 2017-2018.  But what about the center and shooting guard holes opening in 2018?

International Flavor

2018 shows the team solely dependent upon shooting guard Timothe Luwauw-Cabarrot, the 2016 draft delivered a second player as well.   The 26th pick of that 2016 NBA Draft was none other than shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz.  He is currently playing overseas, and is rapidly improving both his offense and defense.

In fact, Korkmaz was a close second in draft projections as a 3-and-D prospect, and it was the surprising fall of TLC to the 24 spot of that draft which enable the Philadelphia 76ers to land both.  Through no fault of his own, he fell to 26 as a “two raw for NBA just yet” prospect.

But he’s getting there now. And in fact, he’s likely ready for the NBA this year.  If he stays for a second year overseas, he will likely have the same impact on this team which Dario Saric brought in 2016-2017.

Another International Gem

Vasilije Micic is another prospect who seldom gets mentioned, but he has all the tools to be coached up into an impact player. While he plays point guard, his talents are such that he could play either guard role. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 205 pounds, he is beginning to land on headlines.

By 2018, the Philadelphia 76ers would be wise to sign him and bring him to the NBA as well.

This is a player who has patiently awaited his turn to land in the NBA.  As he matures, he becomes less risky and more dependable.  By 2018, he should become a Sixer.

Center of Attention

Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers are center Joel Embiid’s team.  But he has played 31 games in three years, and right now his primary backup, center Jahlil Okafor, has struggled with a knee injury for over a year.  Even healthy, Okafor struggles to fit in Brett Brown’s fast paced scheme.

Joel Embiid is the perfect centerpiece to head coach Brett Brown’s scheme. He is outstanding on both offense and defense, assumes the responsibilities of the team’s performance, learns from bad games, and has fun the entire time.

Trade Okafor, Fill Void

But if the team successfully trades Jahlil Okafor, the team is running through Joel Embiid and Richaun Holmes.  While I think Holmes is an outstanding player, the season is 82 games and Embiid needs to play 70 plus games before the “fragility” label is stripped from him.

The Philadelphia 76ers had the chance to retain a good fit at center in Nerlens Noel, but thought otherwise.  While this team is not desperate for center help, the NBA supply of great centers at reasonable cost is non-existent.

So the team must consider a center in the 2017 NBA Draft, perhaps with a second round pick. While there are few choices to choose from, that shortage will magnify as team overreach for the front court help when it’s not there in this draft.

So the Philadelphia 76ers must address the center position in round two of the 2017 NBA Draft.

Summary and Shopping List

In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers must address the roster at center, power forward, shooting guard, and small forward. So why does everybody mock a point guard to the team?  Use the 2017 NBA Draft to reinforce the small forward position. Then go to the center position in round two, as either a draft and stash or two-way contract. The team must also address the power forward role.  The team has several options for that position.

Finally, the team can fill vacancies at shooting guard just by dialing their European players and signing them to a contract.

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After all this, the team can rest. Use the remainder of the 2017 NBA picks to stockpile for the future.  It’s never to early to start planning, you know. But there is always the risk of planning too late.