2016 NBA free agency: 5 worst fits for Mike Conley
By John Buhler
East. Atlantic. Philadelphia 76ers. 4. player. 93.
Do the Philadelphia 76ers need to upgrade their play at point guard? Absolutely and the 76ers will probably be one of the teams desperate to try to pry Conley away from Memphis. If Philadelphia is supposedly done losing at a ridiculously alarming rate, the 76ers will have to upgrade their league-worst play at point guard.
To be fair, this isn’t a nightmare of a situation for Conley to go to with the 2016-17 76ers. The 76ers organization seems unified with Brett Brown as head coach and Bryan Colangelo as general manager.
Philadelphia drafted point forward Ben Simmons No. 1 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, who can help possess the basketball in the offensive zone for Philadelphia when Conley isn’t on the floor. The 76ers have a nice collection of young front court players that Conley can build a pick-and-roll rapport with. Offensively gifted Jahlil Okafor immediately comes to mind.
The biggest criticism of Conley signing with the 76ers is that he’d have to be the lone veteran on a team full of babies. Yes, he’ll play in the Eastern Conference and may have a shot at making a trip to the All-Star Game if things go splendidly in Philadelphia, but it would take a modern miracle for the 2016-17 76ers to qualify for the NBA Playoffs next spring.
Conley isn’t a kid anymore and would he really want to spend the last few years of his prime being the best player on a team coming out of what was a painstaking rebuilding experiment? Money talks, but Conley would be wise to not walk to the 76ers if he has other options.
Next: 3. San Antonio Spurs.