The Philadelphia 76ers planned to get Markelle Fultz and Furkan Korkmaz into action this season. But injuries and underachieving has created a developing developing dilemma.
You are here. How many times have we sought out that visual map in unfamiliar surroundings, just to see where we were located. Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers development cycle is like that maze of a shopping mall. And so, this article is that map. You are here.
But where is here exactly? Well, a place we hadn’t wished for this team to be at, certainly. But why is that again? After all, the team is sitting at 35 wins and have 18 games left to play. This team is likely a 2018 NBA Playoff team for the first time in many years. And the team has six draft picks in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft. What could be so bad about that? So, let’s discuss where we are in terms of developing our rookie players.
Optimistic question marks
Well, the bottom line is that neither Markelle Fultz nor Furkan Korkmaz can be counted on for dependable contributions to this team just yet. Oh, either or both MAY be just fine, but in terms of coaches trust or front office roster planning, neither has upgraded their future beyond an optimistic question mark.
And that is problematic for this team. Without conclusive objective evidence, plans must be built around subjective factors. Words like potential, optics, progression, projection are now part of the team’s scheme for next season in places where points, shots, rebounds, assists, steals, and fit would be written. This team’s rate of progress, and thereby the team’s timeline for that destiny of competing for an NBA championship, experienced one more hiccup.