The Philadelphia 76ers cannot afford for the roster not to be foolproof heading into the upcoming season. They will enter the campaign as the most unpredictable team in the league, but that does not mean that they should treat that very uncertainty to upholster a stance couched in complacency. That just cannot happen.
Yet the front office, in view of that fact, still has not taken enough measures to ensure that the roster can be as fluid as possible. Aside from subsisting concerns when it comes to injuries and whatnot, the 76ers are still saddled by personnel issues, one of which is their sheer lack of proven playmakers in the backcourt.
Philly’s backcourt rotation for next season will consist of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, VJ Edgecombe, and presumably Quentin Grimes (who is actually still a free agent at this juncture). None of those players profile as high-level facilitators, although Maxey has made strides as a table-setter in the last couple of years.
As a result, the coaching staff could sense a need to resort to the extremes — something which fans will most certainly not be amenable to.
The 76ers could give minutes to Kyle Lowry next season out of necessity
Given their lack of playmakers on the roster, Nick Nurse and his staff could find it palatable to give Kyle Lowry minutes here and there next season just to steady the ship and give the team an experienced guard who can help maintain order in halfcourt sets.
While that sounds feasible, this is 39-year-old Kyle Lowry we are talking about. Last season, he turned in arguably his worst campaign ever, falling far short of the expectations the team had on him when it went after him in the buyout market and followed through with another contract.
At this point in his career, Lowry is no longer a viable role player. His sheer inefficiency on the scoring end and waning presence on defense have made him a liability. Playmaking-wise, he is not that much better over Maxey and perhaps McCain, who both have the burst and the gravity to lure in defenders and create impromptu plays themselves to make life easier for their teammates.
Hence, the front office should remain persistent on finding a solution to this rather lethal weakness. After all, they cannot just peg a veteran who is much better off languishing off the bench as an actual solution if they are serious about winning.