When the Philadelphia 76ers decided to draft Johni Broome out of Auburn during last year's draft with the 35th overall pick, a lot of people were quite surprised. Daryl Morey, who was still at the helm at that time, made the call to select him. Having said that, such choice was not exactly well-received by fans and pundits alike.
Well, those people are getting slowly validated for their strong feelings against the Broome draft pick. The incoming sophomore, after all, was fully unable to showcase what he can bring to the table in his rookie season. Worse, there is only a slim chance that he will get an opportunity to do that in Year 2 given what this team needs for now.
If the playoffs are any indication, the 76ers front office will, without a shadow of doubt, go for a more secure option for their backup big man spot. That in itself is bad news for Broome, who is still way too raw for Nick Nurse to repose much trust and confidence in having him on the floor. As such, the clock is probably already ticking for his stint in Philly.
The clock is ticking for Johni Broome and his future with the 76ers
The Auburn product spent most of his rookie campaign in the G-League with the Delaware Blue Coats. He ended up playing just 55 minutes for the 76ers in the entire regular season, which tells you all you need to know about where the team has him in the current pecking order. To make things even more complicated for him, an injury requiring surgery prematurely cut off his stint in developmental league.
Broome's lone edge over, say, Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow is his post-up scoring –– but that is basically it. He is way inferior as a rim protector and overall defender, and he is not exactly efficient enough to be banked on as a consistent scoring option inside. He showed some promise with his three-point shot, but it is far from reliable at this juncture.
With the front office expected to be on the lookout for more veteran options to spell Joel Embiid off the bench, there is simply no realistic pathway for Broome to get minutes next season. As a result, the 76ers are probably already reeling from their decision to go with him during last year's draft when their pressing need for a backup big man requires an immediate solution and not one that could only surface with more patience amid uncertainty.
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