How Two-Ways help Philadelphia 76ers playoff hopes

The Philadelphia 76ers have battled injures in each of the last four seasons. This season, the team has the benefit of two-way contracts. But how will the team use this new feature? Well enough to help propel team to the playoffs

The Philadelphia 76ers have not been in playoff discussions for years. And for good reason. With season win totals of 19, 18, 10, and 28 games respectively over each of the past four seasons, there was nothing to discuss. Well, draft position and prospective NBA players aside.

This year, things are different. The team has a feel of real basketball competitiveness. Not just a win here or there, mind you. But this team feels like the real McCoy.  The team nearly trebled it’s win total within one season cycle. The coaching staff is stable.  The front office is not on the hot seat. Now… the last remaining “oomph” is the swarm of injuries which continue to sting the Philadelphia 76ers each year.

So what can be done about that? Well, there is always a random force of chance which will dictate part of that issue. While the 76ers focused on the NBA Draft, injuries actually helped propel the team towards that goal.

Two-way contract relief

But now, the goal has changed. Thankfully, so have some of the strategies of the team. Now, an NBA team can carry 17 players, thanks to the newly introduced “Two-way contracts”.

So how does that work?  Well, the team roster grows from 15 to 17 players.  Two of the players are designated as “two-way contracts”. That designation limits those specific players to only 45 days on an NBA roster.

While that may not sound like pennies-from-heaven-miraculous, think back to how that may have impacted the team just last season.  The team entered the year knowing that Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor was on minutes restrictions, and faced the news that both Jerryd Bayless and Ben Simmons would be lost for the year.  The team had to deal players to compensate for the losses.

Now, take that same scenario, but place two-way contracts into the mix. The team could activate one or both of the players on the 45 day limit, and essentially reinforce the roster on the fly.

Two-way  uses

Players in a two-way contract have multiple roles to benefit the team. The player can be a developmental project with huge upside. Or the player can possess skill-sets at a shallow position for the team.  Finally, the team can simply insure players recovering from injuries by adding an additional player via the two-way.

So far, the team has signed former Golden State Warrior James Michael McAdoo to a two-way contract.  While McAdoo has yet to impact the NBA, his athleticism and energy are the raw materials needed by head coach Brett Brown to manufacture a player who can excel at both ends of the basketball court.  Thanks to the new contract option, Brown has a new player to develop.

Next: 5 goals for Markelle Fultz in 2017-18

Players in two-way contract mode know the system, and can aid the team almost instantly. They work with the NBA roster, and learn and work with that close relationship between the G-league franchise Delaware 87ers and the Philadelphia 76ers. But none of this is new. Philadelphia has been youth oriented for years.

The difference is that the NBA now has given the team an option to leverage that youth. And that is the difference maker.

While we patiently await the season’s arrival, now is the time to reset your notepad for new keys to a successful season.  While two-way contracts may seem like a subtle change, you can bet the Philadelphia 76ers are all in on optimizing their impact.

And who knows? If a player falls to injury, that could be the difference in whether or not the team ends up in the playoffs.