Jonah Bolden was selected with the 36th pick by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jonah Bolden looked good in summer league. His shot blocking has been eye opening, and Bolden has shown an ability to be very effective running the floor. However, even though Bolden impressed, the Philadelphia 76ers should not bring him over this year.
Philadelphia 76ers
Bolden averaged 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last year. In Europe, he played 27.7 minutes per game in 25 games played. If he came over to Philly, it’s not a guarantee he’d get anything over 10 minutes per game, if that. Bolden is a versatile defender that could play anywhere from the three to the five. However, Philadelphia already has Covington, Anderson, Simmons, Saric, Johnson, Embiid, and Richaun to play those respective positions. One would assume that Philadelphia would want to give Justin Anderson consistent minutes to see if he could be part of the future. The Sixers probably also want Johnson to contribute off the bench, due to the fact he grades surprisingly well in advanced statistics. The minutes aren’t there for Bolden to get consistent playing time this year.
The second reason is because of Philadelphia’s future contract situation. Embiid and Covington are free agents next year. If Embiid is healthy next year, he’s getting a max offer from the Sixers at 12:01 am on July first. Covington is a two way wing, that should command a contract north of 12 million dollars per year. Richaun Holmes and Tj McConnell are free agents in two years. Ben Simmons and Dario Saric are free agents in three years. The Sixers will most likely be capped out in three years time. If Bolden stayed overseas for a year or two, that would delay his rookie contract. This would give Philadelphia an extra year or two to have a potentially very good role player on their team on a rookie deal.
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Jonah Bolden has the potential to be a stretch four for the Sixers when he plays for them. His positional versatility and athleticism should make him an easy fit on the roster whenever he decides to come over. Philadelphia should try and make sure when he does come over, it’s in 2018.