The Philadelphia 76ers are not among the favorites to win the championship as currently constructed despite their rabid win-now design, but that does not mean that they are doomed in the future. While the franchise is spearheaded by established stars, it is likewise home to some of the brightest up-and-comers in the league led by All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey.
From Jared McCain, who was the runaway favorite to win Rookie of the Year last season before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of his freshman campaign, to VJ Edgecombe, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, the 76ers have some nice pieces to potentially build around for the future.
But having said that, no one would mistake this young core of theirs as a league-shifting one. Aside from the fact that those players basically have the same skill sets, only Maxey is a surefire franchise cornerstone at this point in time.
That could change easily, though, if the 76ers manage to bring in some more young pieces in the near future. But of course, that would means that the team was bad enough to be in the position to get highly touted prospects — a matter completely antithetical to the team’s current resounding win-now mandate.
76ers could start dreaming about Victor Wembanyama as link with Tyrese Maxey grows
As recently reported, the San Antonio Spurs have hired Tim Martin as an assistant coach, adding another steady voice in new head coach Mitch Johnson’s coaching staff.
Now, why in the world would that somehow relate to the 76ers possibly zooming in on Victor Wembanyama as their pipe dream target? Well, that same new face on the Spurs organization trained not only the young superstar, but also Maxey.
We’re clearly gasping at straws with this one, but everything in the NBA is about linkages, especially when it comes to player movement. Wemby has strongly indicated that he would like to stay in San Antonio for the rest of his career, but that is far from a foregone conclusion.
Maxey recently went on to share his experience training with the French phenom under Martin, so he knows what it’s like to share the hardwood with the Spurs big man.
Sharing this connection, Maxey can cultivate a relationship with Wembanyama, to the effect that the 76ers can at least make the Spurs sweat when the time for the superstar comes to make a decisive choice for his career.