The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers developing developing dilemma

By Bret Stuter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 24: General Manager Bryan Colangelo of the Philadelphia 76ers watches the game in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on January 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bulls 115-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 24: General Manager Bryan Colangelo of the Philadelphia 76ers watches the game in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on January 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bulls 115-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NC – MARCH 06: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 6, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC – MARCH 06: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 6, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

76ers are here….

You know the rest of the story. Neither Markelle Fultz nor Furkan Korkmaz saw much of the basketball court this entire season. That fact has had a rippling effect on the quality of the 76ers bench play this season.  Without viable options at the wing position, the team signed free agent Marco Belinelli in hopes to bolster the bench in time for the playoffs.  In similar fashion, the team never seemed to work power forward Trevor Booker into the lineup effectively. That necessitated another move, this time signing Ersan Ilyasova to bolster the team’s bench in the front court.

Simple solution? Well, akin to treating a broken leg with the “take two aspirin and call me in the morning”.  The true problem is the building logjam in the team’s pipeline. How so? By this time in the season, the plan placed the biggest debate over which young wing player deserved starts next season. Now the biggest debate is which veterans deserve to be re-signed for next season?

Pipeline is clogged

The pipeline was already loaded up for the 2018 season. Three overseas players are in the queue for a chance to play in Philadelphia.  At best, their arrival to the NBA will be delayed. In  worst case scenario, the Sixers will need to prune some young players to make room for the next crop of young prospect.  While the reality is likely somewhere in the middle, there is more at stake here than just an “Oh well, we won’t see much of Furkan Kormaz this season”.

It means the pairing of Markelle Fultz with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is delayed another entire season. It means that the Philadelphia 76ers have no concrete answers at the wings. But most of all, it changes the team’s entire 2018 off-season strategy.  The team, if wise, must now reinforce the roster at those “optimistic question marks” we discussed earlier. All the while, those four slots of developing players, as of now, appear to be three-fourths filled. Does that limit the number of players imported from the Euroleague? And what of the 2018 NBA Draft strategy? Well, one thing at a time.