NBA: 2015-16 Eastern Conference Projections
By Shane Young
15. Philadelphia 76ers: 19-63
Weakest month: April — 7 games, .476 (20th)
Hardest month: October/November — 18 games, .524 (11th)
Overall strength of schedule: 16th
Sam Hinkie is a really tough man to gauge. Earlier this month, I pretty much came to the conclusion that Brett Brown is a damn good coach in today’s game, because he has these guys playing the right way.
The issue has been the same since Hinkie arrived. The players and coaching staff have the right mindset to compete. They now have the right methods on the court, especially defensively with Nerlens Noel. They just lack the overall talent from top to bottom.
With Philadelphia’s average roster age being 23.5 years (this includes the training camp roster of 19 players, of which a few will be cut), they don’t have enough skilled veterans for the kids to learn from. Gerald Wallace and Carl Landry are the only two players over 30, and neither of them are huge-impact players in the modern style.
The 76ers stole the Lakers’ gem at No. 3 in the draft, selecting who I urged L.A. to take with their second pick. From what we’ve been presented thus far (Summer League and college play), it appears Okafor is 90% likely to turn into a star — likely the second-best player in the whole draft. Russell won’t have as monumental of an impact for the Lakers, and these picks needed to be flip-flopped.
Philadelphia needed the floor general that would take a couple years to develop. Los Angeles needed a big man to come in with a direct influence.
With Brett Brown having two acutely skilled big men in his lineup, people are still jumping on the train of “This team is destined for 25-30 wins!”
The Kool-Aid consumption of these fans/writers is through the roof. Even in the Eastern Conference, there isn’t enough identity, superstar power, or advantages the 76ers possess to increase their win total. Just because the frontcourt seems complete, you have to take into account their recent history. And … that Tony Wroten or Isaiah Canaan will still be operating at point guard. Without a point guard that has the ability to take over a game and create more great plays than turnovers, improvement isn’t on the horizon.
In the last two seasons, Philadelphia has stumbled to a 37-127 record (.226), and the only way to bring expectations above that is to change the perception.
If the 76ers could sign or draft shooters to fill the wings, they would be in terrific shape — Philly attempted 31.8% of their field goals from 3-point range, which made them one of the leading franchises in ditching long two’s. However, they were 29th overall in 3-point effectiveness, making only 32% of those looks.
That ridiculous trade Sacramento made this summer (sending Nik Stauskas to Philadelphia) could give this team a better chance to help that headache.
Finishing last in the conference is just Hinkie’s unappealing nature. One of these days it’s going to pay off with a draft pick higher than No. 3. It’s been three years since the city has felt proud of their basketball organization. Go ahead and tally another.
Next: 14th