My favorite time of the year is coming up and no it’s not the draft, I leave that analysis to my colleague Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense. My favorite time is NBA free agency and despite not having a lot of salary cap space, the Philadelphia 76ers still need to look at the market.
Last season Ben Simmons was the starting point guard, but based on the playoffs he won’t be next season and that’s even if he’s even on the roster. Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton, and George Hill all manned the position as backups this past season. Maxey appears to be primed to be the primary backup, if not starter next year. Unless used as a trade piece, Hill should be back in the rotation next year, while he and Milton are combo guards.
Do the Sixers need more depth at the point guard position, sure especially with Simmon’s future is uncertain, but the salary cap situation will make things hard to make sign a starter level player, but there are some solid playmakers available.
It should be noted that players like Kyle Lowry and Lonzo Ball won’t be included in this article because getting them would have to be through a sign-and-trade.
5 point guard free agent options in 2021: Frank Jackson
If the 76ers decide to add another player who has the potential to be a spark plug off the bench, then Frank Jackson could be their guy. The three year guard had a very good season with the Detroit Pistons after not getting consistent minutes with the New Orleans in his first two seasons.
This past year, Jackson averaged 9.8 points and 0.9 assists, while converting 40.7 percent of his 3-pointers. It should be noted that after the All-Star break this season, he averaged 12.1 points and 0.8 assists on 41.6 percent from the 3-point.
That being written, Jackson is a one-dimensional player. He doesn’t pass at a high level and he’s not a good defender. He’s closer to a shooting guard in terms of skills, but at 6-foot-3 he’s undersized and unless the ball is in his hands, he’s not able to impact the game.
However, Philly did struggle to get bench points in the playoffs and at the age of 23-years-old, he still has room to grow as a player too. He’s the type of guy that the Sixers could get with a veteran minimum if Jackson wants to compete for a title.