The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the most loaded lineups in the entire league, that’s for sure. The abundance of raw talent on this roster cannot be denied, especially with the team boastig a good mix of star players, capable veterans, and young players showing a lot of promise. Health permitting, this group is built to compete with any team.
Having said that, this roster is not perfect by any means. Least sensible about the 76ers’ lineup is the fact that they still have players who can no longer be viably given minutes. Topping that list are their pair of sage veterans in Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry, although the former has been barely felt due to the latter basically functioning as a quasi-assistance coach to Nick Nurse.
As expected, Gordon has been nothing more than a benchwarmer in his 18th season. At 36 years of age, he no longer has the tenacity to be a consistent rotation player. In fact, he has gotten just a hair above 15 minutes through nine games, reflecting his current role (or lack thereof) with the 76ers exclusively resorting to their young guns to fill in all the minutes in the backcourt.
Hence, it is high time for the 76ers to seriously try to replace him, and one name that could pique their interest is a former All-Star in Victor Oladipo.
The 76ers could target Victor Oladipo to replace Eric Gordon
Oladipo, who last saw action in the NBA during the 2022-23 season with the Miami Heat, seems to be eyeing a comeback. He has not played in the league for two full campaigns already, but he has apparently been laying the groundwork for a possible return to the big league.
After briefly suiting up for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), which took part during the preseason, Oladipo has reportedly signed into the G-League player pool according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
The G-League season has just started, and while he has not been claimed yet, going to the developmental league could bolster his chances of making it back to the NBA.
The 76ers could definitely use Oladipo as a better alternative to Gordon. While we probably should not put too much stock on his flashy scoring display in two preseason games with the Loong Lions, his skill set is still more sensible for this team.
Injuries have sapped his athleticism, but Oladipo is a much more competent defender and secondary playmaker than the one-dimensional Gordon. And even better, whatever injury risks he has will be concealed by the fact that he won’t be playing a consistent role anyway.
Gordon has more mileage, but Oladipo also has ample experience, especially in the playoffs. VJ Edgecombe’s game especially resembles his during his peak years with the Indiana Pacers when he made two All-Star teams.
For now, this is a plainly conjectural, but the 76ers will be hard-pressed to find a better replacement for Eric Gordon than Victor Oladipo, someone who should be a better third-stringer but won’t cost anything of value to acquire.