3 Sixers players who deserve more attention entering 2023-24 season

The Philadelphia 76ers are on the verge of collapse, but next season still harbors the same end goal: a championship for Joel Embiid and whoever accompanies him. These players deserve more attention as potential pieces to the puzzle. 

The Philadelphia 76ers are once again marred in controversy and uncertainty as the sun breaks the horizon on a new NBA season. Joel Embiid, lest he gets too comfortable with the same group, is again staring down the barrel of a nasty breakup with his star point guard. James Harden has requested a trade and Philadelphia is short on options with Harden’s contract set to expire next summer.

To make matters worse, Daryl Morey did not exactly “win the offseason.” The Sixers lost several rotation players to free agency — Georges Niang, Jalen McDaniels, Shake Milton — and did little except re-sign Montrezl Harrell (who tore his ACL), sign a ludicrous number of backup centers, and sneak Patrick Beverley into the fold.

It’s impossible to rule a team out of contention with Joel Embiid on the roster, but the Sixers have seldom been on shakier ground — and man, the Sixers are more than accustomed to shaky ground. Any Harden trade will return pennies on the dollar and Tyrese Maxey, for all his brilliance, is unproven as a genuine second option. Nick Nurse is a talented head coach with a championship pedigree, but he can only do so much if the roster crumbles around him.

That said, Nurse is a historically creative coach. That creativity doesn’t always extend deep into the rotation, as he loves a short bench, but his defensive scheming could unearth new and interesting lineup configurations. We already have Mo Bamba talking about two-big lineups at his opening presser and frankly, Nurse’s history would suggest that is a very real possibility.

As Nurse figures out how to maximize a deeply flawed and frighteningly shallow roster (until the Harden trade returns three completely average role players and a second-round pick), here are three players who could impact winning and are deserving of more attention.

76ers player who deserves attention: 3. Ricky Council IV

The Sixers did not own any 2023 NBA Draft picks after trading out of the second round to swap Matisse Thybulle for Jalen McDaniels, who they subsequently allowed to walk for a very reasonable price in free agency. While Morey’s motivations for such a series of decisions can be validly disputed, the Sixers’ boss did ace the NBA Draft test. Or, more accurately, the undrafted free agent test.

The Sixers signed the two best UDFAs on our board — Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith. Both received top-40 grades here at FanSided and should have been drafted, but the Sixers will have them on two-way contracts next season. While Smith has a skill set more in tune with Embiid and the Sixers’ offensive needs, he’s a slender guard who may not find much of an avenue to playing time with Tyrese Maxey in the fold. Therefore, Council deserves more eyeballs in the immediate future.

Philadelphia’s wing depth at the moment is dire. Behind Tobias Harris and the rapidly aging P.J. Tucker, it’s essentially De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr., and Furkan Korkmaz. Melton is 6-foot-4, House was benched for a large portion of last season, and Korkmaz is a bench-dweller who has requested multiple trades from Philadelphia. Not the best group, unfortunately.

Council probably won’t get much shine as a rookie — he’s going to start the season in the G-League — but he’s worth monitoring. He’s a bursty athlete with one elite NBA-level skill: finishing. His penchant for acrobatics at the rim is not terribly common and he could provide instant value as a downhill driver who pressures the rim. If Harden sticks around or Embiid continues to embrace his playmaking acumen from the elbow, Council should have no shortage of clean catches and open driving lanes to attack.

At 6-foot-6, Council can also defend multiple positions. He will have some discipline issues to work though but Nurse is a brilliant defensive coach. The complexity of his schemes could work against a young rookie like Council, but we’re taking about a first-round talent who mysteriously fell into Philadelphia’s lap. He merits watching.