Following a thrilling win at home, the Philadelphia 76ers have officially gone past the play-in tournament and will enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. A meeting with their eternal nemeses in the Celtics is now on deck, but their latest win to catapult them into the postseason did more than just clinch a spot for them in the first round.
Playing without Joel Embiid, the 76ers had to get some timely contributions from their supporting cast –– which they did. Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Paul George turned in their usual numbers, but what made the difference were Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond, who connived for 33 markers and were a combined +28 to help propel the team to the win.
Both Oubre and Drummond will be hitting the open market this summer, being two of the team's 10 impending free agents. Those veterans had their moments during the course of the season, but with such a big opportunity for a roster turnover, letting both of them go in free agency has certainly become a think piece worth doubling down on. That, however, might have just changed overnight.
The 76ers could keep both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond in free agency
Despite the imminent hankering for the 76ers to go for a big roster turnover this summer, the front office might actually find it much more tenable to keep a handful of their veterans, and both Oubre and Drummond should be topping that list.
Oubre has been a fantastic piece for Philly all season long in what has arguably been his most impactful individual campaign yet. Since being with the 76ers, his defensive acuity and attention to detail have greatly improved, making him a natural fit next to the team's litany of scorers. The eccentric forward has been a featured piece for the franchise for three years now, and maintaining that dynamic should work well for both camps.
Drummond had a much more shaky footing than Oubre with respect to his viability with the 76ers moving forward, but when scaled down to the more mellow expectations attached to him, re-signing him this offseason gets a better ring to it. He will be a third-string center by default, and given how he has quietly reinvented his game to cater to his declining traits, the team can do much worse than keep him in the fold.
At full strength, the Philadelphia 76ers remain a very formidable bunch. Alas, given how they are constructed, keeping their veteran reinforcements and fostering that continuity amid the constant threat of the injury bug will go a long way toward preserving their competitive window in the near future.
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