76ers Draft Primer
The Sixers face one of the most important offseasons in franchise history. They are on the cusp of legitimate title contention, but must first weather the storm that is free agency. In order to mitigate any potential loses the team might suffer, the Sixers are going to need to draft well.
Here are some areas the Sixers need to address during the 2019 draft:
PoA Defender
PoA stands for “point of attack,” meaning the person initiating the offense. The Sixers had a very hard time defending opposing point guards and initiators last season.
Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Jeremy Lamb, Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Trae Young are just a few of the guards who carved up the Sixers defense last year. Ben Simmons is more than a capable defender, but he lacks the foot speed to keep up with some of the league’s shiftier guards. The Sixers had a couple capable PoA defenders last season in Robert Covington and Zhaire Smith, but trades and injuries created a major hole they had a hard time getting around.
Long, athletic wings capable of guarding multiple are becoming one of the most valuable commodities in basketball. If you’ve heard the name Matisse Thybulle mentioned by a drooling Sixers fans, then you might already know this. The Sixers already have one potentially capable PoA defender in Smith, but multiple would go a long way towards fortifying the defense around Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Back-up Center
I don’t even feel like writing about this because it’s so obvious. This is why they lost in the second round of the playoffs. The minutes Joel Embiid didn’t play against the Raptors cost them the series due to their complete lack of anything playable behind the star center.
It shouldn’t be too hard for the Sixers to find a capable backup center in free agency, but then again, they went through half a million centers last season and still couldn’t find a useable one. The best course of action might be doubling down on the position in free agency and the draft. Sign a veteran to a short term deal then draft and develop someone who can eventually take their spot.
Bol Bol has become a popular option at #24, but taking a center in the first doesn’t seem like the best idea considering it’s a very fixable need. That isn’t to say it’s not important to find someone capable of spelling Embiid, but it’s something they can wait to address with one of their four second round picks.
They could also forgo addressing the position at all and just wait for Ansjes Pasecniks to finally come over, so they have plenty of options.
Shot Creators
The Sixers have needed players capable of creating their own shot for about as long as I can remember. It’s what led them to trading up for Markelle Fultz and eventually trading for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. They simply never have enough players who can dribble and shoot.
The Sixers have one of the most offensively dominant starting lineups in the East, assuming everyone returns, but their bench leaves a lot to be desired. More often than not last season, Butler and Harris would run with the second unit because they lack anyone else to play through. The Sixers need someone who can go out and get a bucket while the starters are catching their breath.
College basketball is filled with polarizing offensive savants, draft one and hope they can translate to the league. Carsen Edwards would be a great fit in the second round. They don’t even have to be a well rounded player, just find someone who can get buckets off the bench.
Off-Ball shooting
This is going to be one of the most important things throughout Ben Simmons’ career. If he isn’t going to be a shooter, fine, but you better surround him with as many shooters as possible. Outside of JJ Reddick, who very realistically could be leaving, the Sixers have almost nothing in terms of outside shooting on the wing. Jimmy Butler is capable, but his best three point shot is off the dribble.
The Sixers need more players on the outside for Simmons to feed, otherwise the paint gets clogged and the offense begins to stagnate. Personally, I think this is a big reason as to why the Sixers struggle so much in the half court. The offense lacks too much off-ball movement and personnel is a major reason why.
There are a number of prospects who could address this issue, both in the first and second rounds. Wofford’s Fletcher McGee is a personal favorite second round prospect. Landry Shamet was a huge steal last season, picking someone in the same vein could yield similar results.
Backup Point Guard
Finding a backup point guard who isn’t also your starting small forward should be high on the Sixers’ list of priorities. Don’t get me wrong, I love point guard Jimmy Butler, but I think it’s an insane responsibility to ask of a soon-to-be 30 year old who is expected to sign a five year max. It just seems like the best way to run Butler into the ground as quickly as possible.
The Sixers need to find a legit point guard they can trust to play behind, and sometime with, Ben Simmons. TJ McConnell was fun while it lasted, but he couldn’t share the court with Simmons. When the two played together, one would always end up standing in the corner occupying space because they couldn’t do anything else. They would hold themselves back because they were such poor fits alongside each other.
Now that the Sixers have their stars, they need to work on finding the best ways to compliment them. Ty Jerome would be the perfect fit. He’d be able to lead the Sixers’ second unit or play point in small ball lineups while Simmons slides to forward.
