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Philadelphia 76ers Finalize Opening Day Roster with Bevy of Cuts

By Jake Hyman

Oct 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Scottie Wilbekin (25) reacts with guard Jordan McRae (52) after hitting a three pointer against the Cleveland Cavaliers to take the lead with one second to go in the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 115-114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Scottie Wilbekin (25) reacts with guard Jordan McRae (52) after hitting a three pointer against the Cleveland Cavaliers to take the lead with one second to go in the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 115-114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers started Monday morning with 20 players on the roster and ended the day with 15 making the opening day roster. With the maximum of 20 players on the preseason roster, general manager Sam Hinkie made a flurry of moves and let go both old and new faces on the roster.

Per Yahoo! Sports’ Shams Charania, the Sixers released forward Furkan Aldemir and guards Pierre Jackson, Scottie Wilbekin, Jordan McRae and J.P. Tokoto.

A name that stands out is Aldemir’s, as he was a fixture on the second unit last season. Signed to a partially-guaranteed four-year deal, Aldemir brought one dominant skill set to the table. As an avid rebounder, Aldemir hauled in 4.3 boards per game in just 13.2 minutes. Over the course of 48 minutes, he brought in a robust 15.6 rebounds per game.

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Aldemir flashed little offensive consistency, only scoring 2.3 points per game on just 1.9 attempts per game. The Sixers tried to get the Turk to operate around the perimeter and show a semblance of stretch-4 ability, but that scenario will never get to fully materialize.

With the loss comes another’s gain, as rookie Christian Wood landed a spot on the roster for the season opener Wednesday.

The Sixers, after passing on him in the 2015 NBA Draft, signed the UNLV product early September to a multi-year contract with the incentive of seeking out the upside tied to Wood.

He notched a double-double in his fourth preseason game against New York with 13 points and 10 boards, while shooting 44.8 percent in the preseason. At just 20 years old, Wood is a project for Brett Brown and the Sixers, but has two-way ability vital in the second unit of any team.

Having the hardship of not hearing his name called in the draft should fuel Wood, but now the 6-foot-11, 216-pound forward has an extra incentive to grind every day on the court.

As for the guards, T.J. McConnell was the obvious winner Monday, as the undrafted rookie secured a roster spot over former second-round picks in Jordan McRae, J.P. Tokoto, and Pierre Jackson.

McRae, known for being a dynamic scorer who can take it to the hole or knock down a jumper, shot just 29.6 percent from the floor in the preseason and couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity presented coming off the bench for the Sixers.

Similarly, Jackson struggled to impress in the preseason to a tune of an unsightly 7.1 percent shooting. Dealing with a persistent going injury, the team decided to keep the producing McConnell who had been a consistent performer off the bench, and as a starter at times, in the preseason.

After receiving the news, the 23-year-old native of Pittsburgh was emotional:

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Now with just two healthy point guards on the roster, McConnell could receive heavy minutes as the backup to Isaiah Canaan. McConnell also is one of the lone facilitating guards healthy on the roster.

When it comes to the Sixers paying the remainder of contracts, between the five players, the team had only $962,356 invested per Spotrac, with Jackson’s $750,000 guaranteed deal spiking the money lost.

The cuts don’t signify the end of the Sixers roster moves heading into the season opener Wednesday at Boston. They can waive another player and claim another from a different team but eventually would need to have 15 total before the season opener.

It’s a tough couple of days for players and teams throughout the league finalizing their rosters, but destroying playing aspirations in the process. With Jackson fighting back from a torn achilles, to McRae spending a year overseas before playing, it’s not just black and white when making business decisions.

Both Wood and McConnell have a unique path to playing time in Philadelphia that would be hard to find playing for other teams. They survived the final cuts, but the real work begins Wednesday.

Next: 25 Best Players to Play for the Philadelphia 76ers

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