In this edition of our NBA off-season previews, we look at the 76ers and what lies ahead for the newly formed Big 3 in Philadelphia
Talk about a team that had a ton of hype early in the 2023/24 season that fell off a cliff. The Philadelphia 76ers were viewed as contenders, even after last year's departure of James Harden. Joel Embiid, the cornerstone of the franchise, was once again playing at an MVP level. But even more impressive was the emergence of Tyrese Maxey at the lead guard position. That ultimately culminated in Maxey being named the Most Improved Player in the league last year.
Unfortunately, the announcement of that award would be the highlight of the 76ers season. Joel Embiid got hit by the injury bug once again, which is becoming a tale as old as time. However, unlike previous years the 76ers role players failed to step up. Tobias Harris, who made over 39 million dollars last year, averaged just 17 points per game, on 35% shooting from three. Buddy Hield and Kelly Oubre Jr. both averaged double-digit points, but both on under 45% shooting from the field.
It got even worse once the Sixers got into the post-season. The Knicks were able to win the series in six games, despite Embiid and Maxey combining to average almost 63 points per game. The rest of the team would have been better off staying at home, specifically Tobias. He scored just nine points per game on 43% shooting, which meant his days were numbered in Philadelphia. For the Sixers to take the next step, they knew everyone outside of Joel and Tyrese was expendable.
So Daryl Morey and Elton Brand got to work right away revamping the roster. They signed Maxey to a five-year extension and brought back Kelly Oubre Jr. on a pretty friendly two-year, 16.3M dollar deal. They then cleaned house on the role player front, letting Nicolas Batum, De'Anthony Melton, Mo Bamba, Paul Reed, and Tobias Harris walk.
With all those departures Philadelphia was able to land the biggest free agent name on the market in Paul George. This is not the first time George has been brought in as a massive signing to "get over the hump" and he has failed to deliver on that front. But regardless he signed a four-year, 211M dollar deal to create a new big three in Philadelphia. For a team that was just 15th in points per game and ninth in points against, Paul should help on both of those fronts in that Nick Nurse system.
But if the 76ers want to change the trajectory of Joel's postseason legacy, they needed to round out the rest of the roster. Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond sound like solid veteran signings given their name recognition. The question is how much they both have left at this juncture of their career. I did like the Sixers bringing back veteran guard and NBA champion Kyle Lowry. The only thing Kyle has left to try and accomplish is more titles, as his all-star days are long gone.
Caleb Martin may have been the best signing for this team, given his experience with Miami in the playoffs. While Martin is a great addition, with limited cap space, the 76ers will have to find other talent at a bargain price. The veterans that I mentioned earlier cannot be relied on to play heavy minutes come playoff time. If they do not add more talent, they will not overtake teams like New York, Boston, and Milwaukee in the conference.
One thing that should help with role-player production is what the Sixers did through the draft. Tiktoker and Duke guard Jared McCain was a great addition with the 16th selection in the draft. Jared was a 41% three-point shooter for the Blue Devils, which was an area Philadelphia struggled last year. I would also expect Adem Bona out of UCLA to play some minutes at the backup center spot as well, so a good Sixers draft was had.
The one thing Philadelphia made abundantly clear this offseason is that they are all-in. You don't bring in a 34-year-old Paul George for that kind of money if you aren't trying to win right now. The ultimate question mark will be how healthy can Nick Nurse keep Embiid & George to ensure they can make that deep playoff run. If you get the big three to the start of the playoffs this team could certainly make some noise. The Process is over, but the process of winning has yet to be completed. Will we see that change in the 2024-25 season?
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