NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason needs for the Philadelphia 76ers
By John Buhler
The Philadelphia 76ers improved in 2016-17, but were still one of the worst teams in the NBA. Here are their five biggest needs heading into this offseason.
While the 2016-17 Philadelphia 76ers were an impressive 18 wins better than their previous campaign, this was only a 28-54 basketball team. Philadelphia finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and the fourth-worst record in basketball.
That being said, this was actually a very strong year for Philadelphia professional hoops. Though he only played 31 games, center Joel Embiid took the league by storm with his brilliant, all-around play. It looks like another 76ers rookie, forward Dario Saric, will end up winning Rookie of the Year. The guy was consistent and should be a solid NBA rotation player at minimum for the next decade.
Had Philadelphia been able to stay healthy, maybe this team could have challenged for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture in the final weeks? However, this blatant lack of durability on the Philadelphia hardwood is getting old. It’s becoming Trail Blazers East.
With the amount of young talent on the roster heading into 2017-18, maybe Philadelphia should just go for it and fight for a playoff spot next April. It’s been too long. Here are the 76ers’ biggest offseason needs.
5. Defender with lateral quickness
76ers head coach Brett Brown is preaching three things with his young basketball team: 1.) Compete relentlessly 2.) Play with pace. 3.) Be stout on the defensive end. Philadelphia plays hard despite being bereft of talent. The 76ers get up and down the court, as they were fifth in pace last season.
Philadelphia at least somewhat decent defensively, as the 76ers were 17th in defensive efficiency at 108.9 points allowed per 100 possessions. Though they did hold their own in wing defense, the 76ers just loved fouling dudes once they got beat in the paint.
Philadelphia had the third-most personal fouls and allowed the fourth-most free throw attempts in the league. Little becomes big over time and there lies the reason Philadelphia tends to lose more games than they win. Getting beat at the line and turning the ball over like a rancid NFL offense would definitely do that.
In short, Philadelphia needs to bring in a veteran out on the wing that at one point in his career was a stellar defensive player. He can come in and teach the buckaroos the ropes about how to stop the opposition from getting buckets in the paint without fouling. Philadelphia is playing with great effort defensively. Now it is time for the 76ers to get a wing defender that can give them a higher level of education.