The Philadelphia 76ers have been absent from the postseason for a long time – since the 2011-2012 season to be exact. They’ve spent much of their time since then dealing with injury problems – Andrew Bynum started that process for them – and spending very, very little money in free agency. The franchise essentially hit the reset button.
As Sam Heinke became their general manager in 2013, he began trading players for draft picks like a madman. Longtime Sixers Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, and Evan Turner were shipped away for packages of draft picks. Hinkie gambled on injured players like Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, and the Sixers were accused often of tanking in order to secure higher draft picks.
Whether that was true or not, we find ourselves in 2017 – Hinkie long gone – and lottery pick Joel Embiid and number one overall picks Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz are all healthy and seemingly ready to take the floor together. Now, since the Sixers hadn’t been spending money on free agents, they find themselves with a surplus of cap space – and they are damn sure using it.
With young players like Embiid (who averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in just 25.4 minutes per game in 31 games last season) and Dario Saric already having played some of last season and raising their win total to 28; there’s hope that adding their two number one picks to the mix will give Philly a shot at the postseason again.
Keep in mind the Sixers also have Robert Covington, who just came in 4th in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Now they have added J.J. Redick (on a one year, $23 million deal) and Amir Johnson (on a one year, $11 million deal).
What’s been said about the Sixers is that they needed more of a veteran presence in the locker room, and with Redick and Johnson they get that. Not only do they get veterans to help teach the young players nuances of the game; but these are players with playoff experience – Johnson just made it to the Eastern Conference Finals with the Sixers’ rival the Boston Celtics.
With Paul George and Jimmy Butler leaving the East, it’s a safe bet Chicago and Indiana are no longer playoff teams. And with two open playoff spots and a watered down conference, I think it’s really plausible we see the 76ers in the postseason next year. That, of course, is contingent on the health of their young core; but Simmons and Embiid are both off minutes restrictions now.
I don’t know if the Sixers can necessarily get home-court advantage in the playoffs this year, but I could really see them grabbing the 6th seed if they can stay healthy. And Redick believes so too, as his first tweet following his signing with Philly was, “Trust the process”.
This season will be an interesting one in Philadelphia. The time may have come when The Process starts to make some progress.
