Rebuilding With Purpose
The entire journey of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2014 through 2016 was not about getting the top pick of the NBA Draft. In fact, it was never about getting A top pick in an NBA Draft. The entire austerity of 2014 through 2016 was the equivalent of damning up the flow of resources though the team.
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Teams are giving an annual allowance via NBA Rules each year. Value in the form of attractiveness to free agents is just one value. Salary Cap space to spend is another value. And the third value for an NBA team is an assigned pair of NBA Draft picks: one first round and one second round.
The 2014 Philadelphia 76ers were bankrupt in all three areas. So newly hired team president arrived with the goal in very specific terms for the team. Build Value. Then Build Team. Then Build Championship.
Build Value
He left at the end of Build Value. But that is neither to say that he could NOT do the next steps, merely that he hadn’t gotten there. But he did masterfully address building team value. The third pick of the 2017 NBA Draft is based upon a 3.9 percent probability. As you well know, that pick came from the Sacramento Kings, as a 23rd ranked team in the league, and is the likelihood they would pick at three.
The Sixers accumulated picks, shed unnecessary salaries, and rummaged through a large number of players each year to find gems. Players who performed at a higher plateau than their draft or salary range added value to the team as well.
Convertible NBA Currency
Value which could be converted via NBA trades.
The former president and GM created a treasure trove of future value for the team. It’s that surplus above the annual NBA allowance which will give the Philadelphia 76ers enough materials to build a winning team. But building a team is more than just adding talent. Building value was just the beginning.