Heading into the offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers cannot afford to gloss over their clear roster issues, which bit them badly this year. While the reality fo the situation is that the front office will have a much more difficult time making moves in the open market, this team needs a major soul-searching if it wants to make noise in the East next season.
One glaring issue the 76ers need to mitigate as soon as possible is their playmaking. Philly clocks in as the second-worst team in the league at generating assists, a clear sign of its rather predictable offensive design largely dependent on the individual creation of their talented shot makers. Is that sustainable? The answer seems to be trending in the negative.
To solve this persisting issue, one player whom Philly would be smart to aggressively pursue is Tyus Jones, who will be hitting free agency anew after spending a season in Phoenix thanks to his free agency options getting cut off last year.
The 76ers should target Tyus Jones in free agency
Jones, renowned for his sheer prowess in taking care of the ball and being an uber-efficient ball handler, would be a dream acquisition for the 76ers. He is one of the few tenured and natural pass-first guards in the market, and depending on how the market for him unfolds, his price tag may remain modest.
The 76ers, as currently constructed, only have Jared Butler as their natural point guard. Both Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain are better off not getting burdened with a huge playmaking load, making it necessary for the 76ers to arm them with a capable table-setter.
Butler is a fine backup, but he has not yet shown much to warrant the belief that he can handle such a load for an entire season, especially in the playoffs. Jones, on the other hand, has sufficient playoff experience, and knows how to blend in within a star-studded setup.
Jones is also a consistent three-point shooting threat, having drained the three-ball at a 41.4 percent conversion rate over the last couple of seasons. He is also not a liability defensively, and as said, rarely makes mistakes with the ball in his hands.
The Philadelphia 76ers have to get serious about addressing their woes at the point guard position. Otherwise, the team could very well employ an offensive attack that relies too much on star power, drastically waning in quality when their stars get injured.