After a wildly forgettable season, the Philadelphia 76ers have every reason look forward to making changes in the offseason. While the front office will not have the luxury of having a boatload of cap space to spare this time around, they still have some wiggle room to improve the roster, either through trade or via free agency.
Some of the most meaningful “changes” they can make, however, is already on the house. Most notable of which is the impending return of Jared McCain, who was quite definitively the best rookie in his class before he went down with a season-ending meniscus injury. Still, his tremendous ceiling as a backcourt weapon cannot be denied.
Having said that, reintegrating McCain may not be as seamless as everyone might think. The 76ers have some mouths to feed in the backcourt, and it will be up to the coaching staff to pinpoint the most ideal role for the young star next season. And to that effect, they may be forced to make a really tough choice.
The 76ers may be forced to choose between Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes next season
With Tyrese Maxey already cemented at point guard, the 76ers will have to make a resolute choice as to which player they should start next to their All-Star guard. A good problem awaits them in the form of the so-called dilemma they will have between McCain and Quentin Grimes, who has been absolutely impressive since landing in Philly.
McCain has the edge in shot-making talent, but Grimes has also shown an uncanny ability to generate his own shots without much help. Even better, the latter has become a much competent three-point shooter with the 76ers, putting him at a deadlock with the incoming sophomore.
Where Grimes has the clear edge, though, is defensive ceiling. He touts more size and ranginess than McCain, who is undersized as a two-guard, and offers more switchability as he can latch onto smaller forwards as well.
Having said that, an argument could be made that starting McCain right away would bode well for the team in the long-term. He flashed legitimate star-level potential in his short rookie campaign, and he is far from a liability on the defensive end.
Deciding on who to start between Grimes and McCain could have a drastic effect on how the team looks like in both the short and long term. But the best thing about this so-called ordeal is that the 76ers stand to benefit either way.
Fortunately, the Philadelphia 76ers have all the time in the world — assuming they are able to re-sign Grimes and McCain recovers well — before they will have to make such tough call. Hopefully, the coaching staff will be able to strike a meaningful balance between both players’ varying skill sets.