76ers’ Offseason Grade

Has post-modern basketball arrived?

Laughing in the faces of those who believe perimeter-oriented players will dominate the league for the foreseeable future, Sixers’ Sam Hinkie drafted a (near) seven-footer for the third straight year.

In:

Scottie Wilbekin – FA signing
Pierre Jackson – FA signing
Jason Thompson – Trade
Carl Landry – Trade
Nik Stauskas – Trade

Out:

Ish Smith – Declared FA
Thomas Robinson – Declared FA
Jason Richardson – Declared FA
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute – Declared FA
Glenn Robinson III – Waived
Henry Sims – Declared FA

Drafted:

Jahlil Okafor – No. 3
Richaun Holmes – No. 37
J.P. Tokoto – No. 58

Overview

Though Okafor isn’t as well-rounded as Karl Anthony-Towns or a healthy Joel Embiid, Okafor showed an ability to score the ball, force double teams, and pass precisely out of the post in Summer League play. His free-throw and defensive game both need work, but the reigning NCAA champion from Duke will likely be asked to carry the load on offense and has a legitimate chance to win Rookie of the Year. The key to that will be Philly surrounding a continually improving Okafor with enough shooters to enable him to do work on the interior. It’s also going to be interesting to see how Noel and Okafor fit playing alongside each other.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Richaun Holmes has the physical tools to play in the NBA, and he improved greatly during four years at Bowling Green. He turns 22 in October and has shown some real promise during the Summer League before fracturing his elbow.

Tokoto’s freakish athleticism reminds me a bit of K.J. McDaniels, the Sixers’ second-round pick from last year. Both are offensively limited, and McDaniels is the better defender, but Tokoto seems to have a more natural feel to the game. The coaching staff and player development crew will be hoping they can help him fix his jumper, which he struggled badly with in summer league.

The Sixers pulled off a potential heist in their deal with Sacramento. Just as Boston bet on Billy King and the Nets collapsing, the Sixers found a team that could very well suffer a similar implosion (and plays in the Wild West). For Philly’s willingness to take on the contracts of Jason Thompson and Carl Landry, both of whom will be free agents in 2017, the City of Brotherly Love receives the following:

• Sac’s 2018 1^stround pick (top-10 protected in 18 & 19, unprotected in 2020)
• Right to swap first-round picks in 2016 & 2017
• Nik Stauskas—He struggled as a rookie, averaging 4.4 points on 36.5 percent from the field, but should stand to benefit from more opportunities in Philadelphia.

Landry is an undersized four-man without much range who has struggled to stay healthy of late, but Thompson, a valuable veteran with a rep for playing tough defense, will provide leadership and stability to the Sixers’ second-line and solidify an already above-average defensive team.

The Sixers saved their cap space this summer, staying well below the salary cap’s floor in an effort to retain options going forward. Philadelphia did finally sign a couple of guards: namely Scottie Wilbekin, former Florida Gator who went undrafted and played overseas last season before shooting the lights out in Summer League, and Pierre Jackson, who hurt himself playing for the Sixers’ Summer League squad in 2014. Philly traded Jackson on draft night years ago to New Orleans, where he spent the majority of his time relegated to the D-League, before being traded back to the Sixers on draft night for Russ Smith. Jackson, a 5-10 scoring guard, dropped an NBA D-League record 58 points back in February 2014.

The Sixers could have four first-round picks to use in 2016, and Dario Saric could join the team next summer as well. This wasn’t the time for Sam Hinkie to stand on top of the bar and start throwing money around. The team’s salary situation puts them in prime position to capitalize on a desperate team looking to dump its dead weight at the trade deadline. The Lakers could conceivably keep their selection since it’s top-three protected. However, if Miami (top-10 protected) and Oklahoma City (top-15 protected) have better injury luck than last year, it’s unlikely the Sixers enter the 2016 NBA Draft with fewer than three first-round picks.

Within the scope of the long-term plan, it’s hard to argue with what the Sixers did this offseason. Beyond whether you believe Okafor was the player to take at no. 3, the only sure star in this draft was Towns, at least in my opinion. Further, you can’t fault them for being frugal this summer, especially when they’re at the point in the rebuild where they’d have to grossly overpay for the services of a role player. It’s going to be another rough year in terms of the Sixers’ win-loss record, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t winners this offseason.

Offseason Grade: A