After some pizzazz as of late to begin the offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers made a quiet addition through free agency as they reportedly signed Rayan Rupert to a two-way contract as first broken by ESPN's Shams Charania. Rupert, the 43rd overall pick just three years ago in the 2023 NBA Draft, now figures to continue his career in the East Coast for the first time.
The French swingman spent time last season with the Trail Blazers before he got shipped to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline. Be that as it may, while this signing is hinged on his upside, it is definitely quite puzzling given that his numbers do not add up to what the 76ers badly need, even from a two-way player.
Philly is in dire need of more reliable outside shooting on the roster, and Rupert is definitely not someone who can be safely counted on as one. He shot just 32.4 percent from beyond the arc this past season, and that is not an aberration at all. He is a career 32.2 percent shooter, which casts a huge cloud on his viability as an actual contributor.
The 76ers ignore their biggest need by signing Rayan Rupert
The 76ers merely signed Rupert to a two-way contract, so they probably deserve some grace for this one. However, they should not really be in the business of getting too experimental with their additions, especially since they were already grasping for straws in some areas, such as three-point shooting, for quite some time now.
Philadelphia was one of the very few teams willing to actually deploy their two-way players on a regular basis with the likes of Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker. Hence, the decision to sign Rupert, who could very well see the hardwood more often than expected, is a bit of a head-scratcher as he does not really help address the team's primary weakness.
Hopefully, with more reps with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G-League, Rupert can manage to hone his outside stroke. So far, the numbers have not been promising, although that could possibly change if he gets to play more –– something he failed to get when he was in Portland.
For now, though, the 76ers could have done much better than sign Rupert. The team needs functional depth to support its star-studded opening group, and there is only a slim chance that he helps for that cause next season.
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