The Philadelphia 76ers almost have a full deck for the upcoming campaign as they only have one roster spot still available for taking. While the front office could very well opt to keep it unoccupied through January, there are certainly some strong names to consider. One player who is rumored to become available soon, however, is someone they should absolutely steer clear of –– veteran guard D'Angelo Russell.
The Memphis Grizzlies have revamped their roster this summer, and given how they are constructed, it is no surprise to see that Russell is well on his way to getting cut soon, at least according to rumors. Playoff teams will probably be interested in adding him as a bench scorer, but the 76ers simply have no need for him, or someone like him.
The 76ers should avoid D'Angelo Russell or any similar player at all costs
The new-look 76ers front office did well to bolster the backcourt, which was a shallow position for the squad this past season. Now, to complement All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and incoming sophomore VJ Edgecombe, the team brought in All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown, Anfernee Simons, rookie Labaron Philon Jr., and even two-way bargains in Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert.
Clearly, Philly doesn't need another mouth to feed in the scoring department. All of those players are score-first guards by nature, and Russell represents that kind of archetype, but further pushed to the extreme.
If the 76ers want another backcourt piece, it should be for a natural playmaker who can organize the team in spurts. Playmaking has become a recurring issue for this team in recent years since James Harden forced his way out. And given this team's sheer volume of shot creators, a table-setting guard with a natural feel for the game would be nice to have as a change-of-pace addition. Alternatively, a defensive-minded guard who can hit open shots would also be welcome.
Ideally, the 76ers would go after a frontcourt piece instead in order to mitigate their relative lack of size outside the center position. Another backup big man would not hurt, either, especially since they still do not have a firm option for their second-unit center to supplant Joel Embiid.
Russell has developed a bad rep as an inefficient, shot-chucking guard who is not a good playmaker and is an even worse defender. While not all guards still available in the open market are like that, there is simply no reason for the 76ers to go after a score-first guard given the skill-set overlaps they already have.
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