Not Another Power Ranking: #29 Philadelphia 76ers

Welcome, friends and readers, to the second installment of Not Another Power Ranking.  If you missed out on last week’s piece, the starting point in our adventure of 30 teams, click here to catch up.

Let’s break right into it ladies and gentlemen, the team that tells you to “trust the process” and tells you that this ain’t no game because we are ‘talking about practice’ – The Philadelphia 76ers.

Let’s check out their projected starters per RealGM

2015-2016 Sixers Depth Chart

The Good

Other than promises of a winning future soon to come, the 76ers have some other areas that a fan base can have hope in. Philadelphia has a plethora of talented big men who can be the identity that this organization has so long been searching for.

Some of these talented tall trees include rookie Jahlil Okafor and third-year big man Nerlens Noel. What’s nice about these players is that they are two sides of the same coin. By that I mean that their game compliments one another.

Okafor’s primary strength is his soft touch and fantastic footwork, which creates scoring in the paint along with short to mid-range jumpers that drove his college success. Noel’s best areas of play came from his strength and motor, hence why he was so adept at crashing the glass and protecting the rim in the 2014-15 NBA season.

One hand washes the other and vice versa in the scenario, and I’ll explain how. Okafor’s shooting from short to mid-range along with his footwork to get inside will demand tight man to man defense all around the inside of the arc. This will create room for Noel to dominate in the paint and rebound with ease, creating second chance baskets.

On the other side, Noel’s strong ability to block shots and force contested shot attempts will allow Okafor to sprint the floor and create a fast run and go transition game the Sixers have been searching for the past few years.

Of course, the other Sixers big man Joel Embiid has plenty of raw and natural ability, and if (big if) he can achieve a strong sustained state of health, he can give the Sixers even more firepower in the front court.

The Bad

Aside from questions of the aforementioned health of Embiid, the Sixers biggest weakness and area of question is at the point guard position. The only true ball handling point guards with NBA experience on the Sixers roster are Isaiah Canaan and Tony Wroten, who are not starting caliber based off of their body of work thus far.

Wroten averaged some noteworthy numbers last year with Philly, (16.9 ppg, 5.23 apg) however he has only started 31 games in his three years in the NBA. This lack of major minutes makes the idea of Tony Wroten being able to take on the role of a 70-82 game starter and having those same kind of numbers seem somewhat unrealistic.

Don’t get me wrong, Wroten coming off the bench is something nearly every NBA team could use as an improvement. However, either through free agency, trade or the coming drafts, Sixers GM Sam Hinkie has to get his club a starting caliber point guard, who can put the ball into the hands of his prized big men, and create offense on his own to space the floor.

And My Hot Take

The 76ers need to do two things to make things Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Number One: Do Not Tank

When year after year winning less than 30 games a year has become a normality, you have to fix something. Show other free agents and young players that Philadelphia’s future is either right now or sometime in the very near future. Teams who win 20 games do not scream “HEY, COME PLAY HERE” to potential future players.

Number Two: Hold Hinkie Accountable

As we just went over, trusting the process is all good and dandy, but the process must be clear, laid out and proven. Give Hinkie the time to execute the plan he has in mind, while also making sure that certain deadlines are met and promises are kept. After all, the key to any happy relationship is trust, which is and should be a two-way street here in the city of Brotherly Love.

Follow me on Twitter: @gavroydavis