Philadelphia 76ers: Ranking every player on the 2020-21 roster
Ranking every player on the 2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers roster.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ 2020-21 season starts tomorrow. Ahead of what promises to be an exciting (and far different) experience compared to last season, we here at The Sixer Sense decided to reconvene once again to rank every player on the roster.
Last time we did this, Al Horford and Josh Richardson were on the team, Shake Milton was a newly minted starter, and Brett Brown was the puppeteer behind the curtain. Now Doc Rivers is running the show, Philadelphia has a slew of new shooters, and the team finds itself with a more balanced — and, on paper, more potent — offensive group.
Per usual, we averaged together lists from several contributors to reach our final composite ranking. This list was compiled prior to the Sixers’ two preseason games, but frankly, two preseason games should not have major sway over this kind of project.
Contributing to this article is Christopher Kline (@KlineNBA), Lucas Johnson (@LucasJohnsonNBA), Adam Gilbert (@adam_gib11), Jonathan Geib, Uriah Young (@UY76VO), Matt Plesco (@MattPlesco), and Matt Cahill.
Ranking every Sixers player #17 — Dakota Mathias
Dakota Mathias starred for four years at Purdue, where he became a full-time starter his final two seasons. As a senior in 2017-18, Mathias averaged 12.0 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from 3-point range. That long ball is his trademark, and it’s why Philadelphia sought him out this offseason.
The 25-year-old Mathias shot 39.5 percent from deep in 42 games with the Texas Legends last season. He has proven himself as one of the G-League’s top deep threats, and it makes sense for Philadelphia to invest in talent of that ilk. The more shooting on this roster, the better.
Mathias was more than just a shooter, too. He averaged 18.1 points per game, with enough go-to scoring punch to earn a bigger investment in Delaware. While the status of G-League basketball remains up in the air, one would expect Mathias to be featured as one of the top scorers on the roster if the Blue Coats do, in fact, suit up this season.
Daryl Morey and the Sixers front office have put a premium on shooting this offseason. In order to carve out a spot long-term, Mathias will need to outshine the likes of Isaiah Joe and Terrance Ferguson. It’s a tall task, but the Sixers clearly valued him over Marial Shayok, who was a second-round pick in 2019. That’s something.
— CHRISTOPHER KLINE