11. K.J. McDaniels
By: Sam Coltrane
76ers stats:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/5/2019.
Casual sports and basketball fans might not remember the name K.J. McDaniels. Even the most diehard fans won’t understand just how integral the McDaniels situation was to Philadelphia.
McDaniels came out of college older and more experienced than most of Hinkie’s other draft picks. He was known as a defensive stalwart, incredible athlete, a swiss-army type that played with constant heart and hustle.
Philadelphia 76ers
As a second round pick, McDaniels signed only a one-year $507k contract. The value is of little significance. The one-year would prove to be a pivotal discussion point.
McDaniels wasn’t a star right away. In fact, he wouldn’t have earned playing time on most of the teams in the league. Philadelphia wasn’t most teams. As a rookie, McDaniels showcased all of the tools that made him a star at Clemson. He was playing his way into earning a spot on rosters and, at the least, a new contract.
Hinkie didn’t value players on the fringe. He understood that the league is dictated by superstars. He understood the nuances of contracts and what players could provide actual value to championship teams. In his opinion, McDaniels didn’t fit or justify a new contract in the range of even low seven figures. McDaniels didn’t agree.
On the surface, this wouldn’t seem like a big deal. Moving on from a first-year, second round pick shooting under 40 percent isn’t something of note. Except Philadelphia had very little talent on their team and McDaniels frenetic play provided something for Philadelphia fans to root for. Moving on from him for as little as a heavily-protected second round pick felt like another burn to the fans of Philadelphia.
At the time, Hinkie was heavily questioned for moving on from McDaniels as he displayed talent that the roster so clearly lacked. By no means was it the move that turned fans on Hinkie, but it did lead to rumblings from many in the basketball world as a puzzling move. Even true Hinkie believers were perplexed.
On the All-Time “Process” roster, McDaniels would likely find himself receiving many DNP’s. Just as he has for most of his career. Hinkie saw that McDaniels didn’t have the talent necessary to truly provide value for a team that wasn’t as depleted as Philadelphia.
He didn’t want to set the precedent of overpaying second round picks while first-rounders were still on their rookie deals. The rest of McDaniel’s career has further proven that perhaps Hinkie really did have a pretty good idea of what he was doing all along.