The Sixer Sense
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Sixers should have Jonah Bolden play with Delaware Blue Coats

By Lucas Johnson

LAS VEAGS, NV - JULY 9: Jonah Bolden #36 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Carrick Felix #21 of the Washington Wizards battles for position during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEAGS, NV - JULY 9: Jonah Bolden #36 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Carrick Felix #21 of the Washington Wizards battles for position during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Now that the Philadelphia 76ers have signed Jonah Bolden, the team needs to continue his development throughout the upcoming season.

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming out with solid front court depth now that the offseason is hitting it’s lull. The franchise has a plethora of players that can play in the front court including: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Wilson Chandler, Zhaire Smith, Mike Muscala, Amir Johnson and Jonah Bolden.

Out of that group of players, Smith and Bolden need the most development. Smith seems to be in line to get plenty of playing time, assuming Chandler plays at power forward, which Co-Site Expert of The Sixer Sense Christopher Kline has suggested in the past. With ample playing time, Smith’s development should come accordingly.

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However, Bolden doesn’t have a clear path to playing time to begin the season. The Sixers have plenty of depth at both power forward and center, which severely limits head coach Brett Brown’s ability to get Bolden meaningful playing time.

Bolden’s still only 22-years-old and has room to improve based on his uneven offensive performance in this past Summer League. Bolden does have some potential, especially on defense, based on his solid play with Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv. Now that Bolden has that NBA contract he has wanted, he still needs plenty of playing time to continue to develop.

Sadly, it appears that sitting on the end of the 76ers bench won’t help his growth. Instead of getting 50 or 60 did not play-coach’s decision (DNP-CD) this upcoming season, the Sixers should do their rookie a favor and get him playing time somehow.

This is where the Delaware Blue Coats come in. The Sixers recently just agreed to a two-way deal with rookie Shake Milton so that he will have a chance to develop. As long as a healthy roster permits, Philadelphia should assign Bolden to play with their Delaware G-League affiliate. Now, if an injury does occur then Bolden can be recalled from Delaware back to Philly to fill the role of the injured player.

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In the past, I wrote that having Bolden on a two-way contract would prove positive for the rookie and while he’s not on a two-way deal, Bolden would still benefit from having extensive playing time against quality talent. Getting that playing time with the Blue Coats is much more valuable to Bolden’s NBA career than sitting on the bench with the Philadelphia 76ers in his first season. Based on the Sixers solid depth, having Bolden play in Delaware is the best for him this upcoming season.