The Philadelphia 76ers’ biggest offseason addition should be Dario Saric’s backup.
As the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 2018-19 roster rounds into shape, it’s clear that Brett Brown has put an emphasis on young talent and defensive improvement. Markelle Fultz will be a focal point in the second unit, while Zhaire Smith figures to get legitimate minutes despite his offensive shortcomings.
The Sixers lost two valuable reserves in Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, but both had glaring flaws. Belinelli was a pronounced defensive liability and Ilyasova was limited in his contributions on that end as well.
Belinelli’s minutes can be replaced by committee, with the Sixers boasting several backup guards/wings who deserve playing time. Many believed Wilson Chandler would be the primary recipient of those minutes, but that might not be the best position for the former Denver Nugget.
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At 6-foot-8, Chandler is a versatile defender who can defend 3+ positions and shoot around the league-average mark from three-point range. He might be best utilized as Ilyasova’s replacement, backing up Dario Saric at the four spot.
Generally speaking, positional labels are becoming less and less important. Chandler will probably spend time next to Robert Covington in the frontcourt, where both can defend multiple positions. Ben Simmons can defend all five positions, to boot.
The idea behind giving Chandler minutes that were previously Ilyasova’s, though, is just that — putting as many versatile bodies into the rotation as possible. For a team chasing the Celtics (and eventually the Warriors) having numerous multi-positional defenders who can survive switches is important.
Chandler would also help double down on spacing on the offensive end. If Mike Muscala takes Amir Johnson‘s minutes, the Sixers can put multiple shooters in a second unit that will need to compliment both Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz.
Fultz may eventually become a reliable shooter, but we aren’t sure yet. Simmons won’t be launching three-pointers anytime soon. Chandler isn’t an elite marksman, but he’s a fluid spot-up shooter who can knock down open looks at a high clip.
He will get plenty of open looks in the Sixers’ offense, especially at power forward. He can also leverage his speed at the four spot, attacking closeouts and generating dribble penetration that the Sixers struggled to create in the playoffs.
Chandler isn’t an advanced shot-creator by any means, but he can put the ball on the floor and take advantage of slower defenders. That’s something the Sixers were lacking across the board in the second unit last season.
With 15 players under contract, the Sixers don’t need to make any more moves this summer. With that said, they still have the room exception to spend in free agency (thanks, Nemanja Bjelica) and Jerryd Bayless isn’t expected to be on the opening day roster.
There have been rumblings of a Bayless-Kyle Korver trade in recent days, which would obviously provide a big boost to the Sixers’ wing depth. It would also increase the importance of placing versatile defenders in the second unit, a la Chandler.
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If the Sixers were to add Korver, these should be the primary (positional, but flexible) reserves:
PG — Markelle Fultz
Wing — Zhaire Smith
Wing — Kyle Korver
F/Wing — Wilson Chandler
C — Mike Muscala
Fringe minutes — Amir Johnson, T.J. McConnell
If the Sixers don’t get Korver, here’s how things should look:
PG — T.J. McConnell
G/Wing — Markelle Fultz
Wing — Zhaire Smith
F/Wing — Wilson Chandler
C — Mike Muscala
Fringe minutes — Landry Shamet, Amir Johnson
Since the Sixers don’t have Korver under contract right now, it’s more important to focus on the second grouping. Spacing is obviously at a premium, meaning Shamet would probably be a better basketball fit than McConnell.
With that said, it’s difficult to invest that kind of playing time in a late first-round pick we didn’t get to see in Summer League. McConnell is a proven asset who can hit spot-up threes when given space, at the very least.
Brett Brown also staggers minutes, which will need to continue next season. Keeping J.J. Redick, Robert Covington and Dario Saric in the mix with those reserves is an absolute must. When Embiid sits, Fultz and Simmons still need shooters around them.
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Also, on a brief aside, this is the reason Brett Brown traded for Muscala. Neither Justin Anderson nor Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot would help with the spacing issue in the second unit. Muscala is a skilled big who shot 37.1 percent from deep and can defend reasonably well.