The Philadelphia 76ers have had a stellar start to the offseason. First, they landed a coveted role player in Dean Wade to solve a couple of roster issues that have persisted for quite some time now. Not long after, they pulled off the biggest heist of the year as they acquired Jaylen Brown from the Celtics for Paul George and some draft capital.
Be that as it may, it is way too early for a victory dance. The 76ers, despite their essentially perfect kickstarter to the summer, now face a harsh reality check A quick glance at their current roster will be enough to give anyone a huge clue as to what they are sorely lacking right now –– overall depth and scoring off the bench.
The 76ers entered the offseason having their second unit as a primary cause of concern, and at this juncture, suffice to say that they have only aggravated that issue. Many have somehow glossed over this fact, but the team had actually already lost two key players in Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes this summer, the latter of which served as their nominal sixth man this past season.
The 76ers still have a gaping roster hole off the bench
Philly is not completely helpless as they still have around $5 to $6 million they can throw at free agents without breaching the first tax apron. However, that is clearly not going to be enough spending power to be able to bring in a quality role player who can turn the tide for the team off the bench.
At this rate, the 76ers will once again have one of the least productive second units in the league. This past season, Philly's bench ranked 27th in scoring with only Grimes as the consistent scoring option therein. Now that he is gone, that number will most likely diminish even further.
The 76ers eventually got exposed in the playoffs for their lack of functional depth outside of their starting five, and while the infusion of Brown and the continuous development of VJ Edgecombe will make a world of difference, the team still has to play the bench actual minutes. So far, that is looking like a pretty bleak proposition.
There is still a ton of time for the 76ers to rectify this brewing issue, but they cannot afford to just delay their quest to finding a solution. Time is of the essence in the open market, and if they do not act, their bench will probably get exposed once more in the following campaign.
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