Aside from a couple of bright spots this season, nothing really went right for the Philadelphia 76ers. That may sound too mundane at this juncture, where their current state has become a glib talking point, but in hindsight, it should take a ton of things going bad before the franchise gets to this point. Yet every single one of them did.
Free agency last year was chiefly headlined by the 76ers going on a Vegas-esque largesse, and for good reason. After years of underwhelming playoff exits, the franchise saw their boatload of spendable cash and went all-in, signing veterans with ample playoff experience and most importantly, a picture-perfect third fiddle in Paul George.
George, however, never really panned out in his first season with the franchise. Aside from Guerschon Yabusele, none of their veteran acquisitions proved themselves as worthwhile gets. To make matters worse, some of the players who left the roster last year actually did so for the greener pastures, just like Nic Batum.
Nic Batum shows what the Philadelphia 76ers sorely missed this season
Batum, who was traded early last season to the 76ers thanks to the James Harden, went on to become a highly reliable role player for the squad. However, his stint in Philly ended briefly, as he returned to the LA Clippers, the team that just traded him, during last year’s free agency.
Now, the do-it-all forward has quickly reminded 76ers fans of what they sorely missed. Batum has been a crucial contributor for the Clippers in their tight first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, serving as the de facto sixth man for the Ty Lue-coached squad.
Even at 36 years of age, Batum’s game play hasn’t missed a beat, especially when it matters the most. Thanks to his basketball IQ and sheer length, he is still pretty disruptive on defense with his great positioning and anticipation. On offense, he remains a lethal three-point threat who seems to always make the right reads when given the rock.
Philadelphia badly missed the kind of stability that Batum brought on a nightly basis. Last season, he was probably their most consistent floor spacer, while also giving them 20-24 minutes of heady basketball and pure versatility thanks to his all-around skill set.
Then again, the Philadelphia 76ers were never in a position to realistically re-sign Nic Batum. Aside from the front office funneling its resources onto different players in the open market, the Frenchman seems to have found a home in LA, the place where he found a career resurgence.