Let’s make something clear, Saben Lee isn’t a bad player and probably deserves to be on an NBA roster. The issue here is that the Philadelphia 76ers were hasty and added Lee to the roster at the expense of young big Michael Foster Jr.
The Sixers are in a tight spot with both Tyrese Maxey and James Harden out with injuries. Philly only has Shake Milton and De’Anthony Melton who have played point guard as a full-time position in the past. While the need for depth is important, signing Lee wasn’t the best move the Sixers could have made.
Signing Lee wasn’t the best move for the Philadelphia 76ers.
For his career, Lee has averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 43.7 percent from the floor. It’s not a bad stat line for a career backup but the 76ers have other options. Furkan Korkmaz has played point guard for Philly in the past and it wasn’t a complete disaster.
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They also have young prospect Mac McClung who has impressed with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philly’s G-League affiliate who they could have signed to the two-way contract as well. McClung has averaged 22.2 points and 6.0 assists while converting 37.5 percent from downtown during the G-League Showcase.
However, that isn’t the biggest issue with the signing, it’s the fact that Philly had to waive Foster Jr from the roster. Foster was on the G-League Ignite last season and played well for Philly’s summer league team. Foster was brought into training camp on an Exhibit 10 but had it converted into a two-way contract.
Foster has proven to have legit potential at each step of his journey, yet Philly waived him for an unnecessary bandaid at the point guard position. The book might not be closed on Foster’s time with the Philadelphia as the franchise does have one open roster spot.
Regardless, signing Lee was a short-sighted move by the Sixers that might have cost a young prospect when they had other options.