Right from the get-go, the decision by the Philadelphia 76ers to select Johni Broome with the 35th overall pick in last year's draft seemed poised to eventually disappoint. Lo and behold, a year after, it appears that the franchise is close to admitting that irreversible draft mistake as they are now rumored to be looking for ways to part ways with the young big man to make room for their latest additions.
Everyone thought that the 76ers would cut ties with Jabari Walker after waiving Dalen Terry. They are the two players who held deals without fully-guaranteed salaries for next season. Instead, the Sixers seem to prefer to give up on Broome, which speaks volumes as to how unimpactful he has been so far and how little the front office thinks of his ceiling as a player.
The 76ers are close to admitting their draft mistake with latest Johni Broome rumor
To be fair, it was the Daryl Morey regime that made the call to select the Auburn product last year in the draft. Still, that decision baffled a lot of people from the beginning, especially since Broome does not really have the style of somebody who can help address the team's weaknesses.
Broome is a bit dangling as a big man. He is undersized as a center, but he is neither agile nor mobile enough to play as a power forward. He is definitely a post operator, yet the 76ers need him to be someone who can step away from the paint and be a floor-spacer in non-sparse frequency. Those things were simply not easily achievable with the young big man.
Those were the reasons why he spent most of his rookie year with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G-League. To make matters worse, he injured himself near the end of the campaign, preventing him from even being an option for his mother team.
Simply put, the 76ers made a mistake in drafting Broome. No offense to him as a player, but there was already a glaring mismatch between his skill set and what the team actually needed. As if that was not apparent from the start, they now have no choice but to part ways with him even if it is the more onerous option.
With Mike Gansey now leading the front office, hopefully, the 76ers do not commit the same mistake again. Thankfully, their decisions in the draft this year are quite promising, which helps remove some of the bitter taste left by his predecessor's decision.
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