Must Philadelphia 76ers keep Belinelli and Redick?

The Philadelphia 76ers remain a young team in the playoff hunt. Thankfully, the team has veterans J.J. Redick and Marco Belinelli on the roster. But as both contracts expire, have the 76ers seen enough to re-sign either?

The current roster of the Philadelphia 76ers feels right-sized now with the addition of shooting guard Marco Belinelli. The team has a solid starting lineup, and Belinelli’s scoring (albeit in one game so far) projects as a huge difference maker in the remainder of the season. In a game without star center Joel Embiid, Belinelli added enough offense off the bench to enabld the 76ers to get back into the game. And with a tight playoff race in the NBA, every win is significant.  This one cam at the expense of the team chasing the Sixers in the standings.

Should the team be able to keep this up, the city of Philadelphia will be the centerpiece of professional sports for a time. Winners of the NFL Super Bowl, playoff contenders in the NBA, NHL, and or MLB, Philadelphia is riding a wave of positive vibes.

Playoff bound?

These Philadelphia 76ers are aiming at something completely foreign to head coach Brett Brown: post season play. And with just 27 games remaining, and standing on a 30-25 record, that is a very real possibility. But to get there, this team will need to improve .  Part of that improvement is the trend of Joel Embiid to see back to back action going forward. That can certainly help the team’s 2-6 record when coming off zero days rest.

But the team will need better and more dependable production from the bench. With the addition of recently signed Marco Belinelli, the team now has a sold backup to J.J. Redick, offense off the bench, and perimeter shooting depth to help keep starters rested. Whether or not this is enough to win in the playoffs is another matter.  As of now, it’s a matter of riding it out, for better or worse.