Brett Brown has been very clear about his goal for this offseason. “We are chasing stars”, he has said repeatedly. By stars, the perception from fans is that the Sixers are looking at LeBron James, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. They are the ones everybody knows are out there, and it’s no secret that the Sixers covet at least one of them. Let’s look at a world where the none of them want to come to Philadelphia. How can the 52-win Sixers improve?
Well, certainly other trades are a possibility. Sports talk radio continues to field calls for Bradley Beal and C.J. McCollum. I’m not sure why Washington or Portland would give up on those two players. Certainly not Portland after having a solid year. Beal would be more attractive to the Sixers, and there seems to be chemistry problems on the Wizards, but I’m not sure what it would take to get him. Might be worth it for sure! However, let’s look at a world where that won’t happen either.
The Sixers could be getting a star player this year in Markelle Fultz. He looked like an electric NBA player in the short time he was on the court last year. Was his shooting issue a shoulder injury? Was it, as shooting guru Drew Hanlan put it, “a case of the yips”? In any event, Hanlan is rebuilding his shot from scratch. If Fultz becomes even a decent shooter, Philadelphia will add someone who could create his own shot and score down the stretch of games. That’s something the Sixers desparately needed last year. It’s easy to call Fultz a bust, as last year was a strange as you can imagine. However, there is a reason Fultz was the consensus top player in a stacked draft last year, and the Sixers did trade up for him for a reason. It’s way too early to give up on him, and his successful return could be a huge lift to this team.
J.J. Redick had a very good year for the Sixers last year. The 34-year old had arguably his best NBA season. They loved him in the locker room, Brett Brown loved coaching him, and he was certainly a glue-guy. However, Redick was exposed in the playoffs. He was targeted over and over by Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. He is a liability on defense, and does not handle the basketball very well. Both of those things were exposed in the Boston series. The Sixers overall wing defense is where they need to improve. While Zhaire Smith, the Sixers first-round pick from Texas Tech might be able to add athleticism and defense on the wing, it will be hard to tell how much playing time he will get early on. My solution? Try and retain Redick on an inexpensive deal. Or, sign Miami restricted free agent and Philadelphia’s own Wayne Ellington. Ellington is a younger and more athletic player than Redick, and while not a standout on defense either, the Sixers would be able to get what they got from Redick last year – but younger and less expensive. Especially if that role is one that comes off the bench to back up Fultz to provide instant offense.
I would also consider bringing Ersan Ilyasova back as well. I don’t know how much it would take to retain him, but he certainly filled a lot of needs. He was a great back up to Dario Saric, could play the center in a small lineup, and boy does he love to take charges! Much of the Ilyasova decision will depend on what the Sixers really believe they have in Richaun Holmes. WIll the Sixers trust Holmes to backup Embiid? Will 2017 draft pick Jonah Bolden be able to fill that role? The Sixers selected Landry Shamet, a combo guard from Wichita State instead of big man Robert Williams, who certainly could have filled that role. Williams has character issues, and the Celtics took him with the pick after Shamet.
All of these things will make the Sixers a better team than last year’s 52-win playoff team. However, will that and the experience their young stars had last year be enough to get by Boston? Will Ben Simmons start draining three-pointers? Probably not. There is no GM yet. I do predict they hire from within. But there are solutions out there with their assets: cap space, draft picks, the 2021 unprotected pick, players to trade.
I guess you have to just Trust the Process!
