Philadelphia 76ers-Anthony Bennett Pairing Makes Sense For Both Sides

In the coming minutes, hours or days, Anthony Bennett will receive a chunk of money to take his leave and seek a new hardwood home for the 2015-16 season, as he and the Minnesota Timberwolves are currently discussing terms for a buyout contract.

Once the buyout clears and Bennett is a free man on the market, there will surely be a handful of teams interested in the 22-year-old former No. 1 overall pick.

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Given their seemingly endless abundance of cap space and a roster featuring very little proven NBA talent, Sam Hinkie’s Philadelphia 76ers are a name that will quite likely be tossed around until Bennett inks a new deal, and understandably so.

At this point in Bennett’s young career, with only two years of limited experience under his belt, he’s walking a thin line between two distinctive career paths.

On one side, Bennett is one failed experiment away from being labeled as a bust and watching from free agency as fewer and fewer teams extend a phone call. But on the other side, Bennett is still a young talent with plenty to prove, and given the right situation, rejuvenating what has been a disappointing start to his NBA career is achievable.

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From nearly every angle, a Bennett-Sixers pairing would be mutually beneficial.

For Bennett, Philly would provide a fresh start with a little expectations and a considerable opportunity to come in and compete for substantial playing time immediately. With being labeled as a stretch forward, here’s an initial view at the current Sixers landscape Bennett would compete with for clock, listed from expected playing time down:

• Nerlens Noel – PF
• Robert Covington – SF
• Jerami Grant – SF
• JaKarr Sampson – SF/SG
• Carl Landry – PF
• Furkan Aldemir – PF

• Richaun Holmes – PF
• Gerald Wallace – SF
• Christian Wood – PF

At first glance, the Sixers appear to have a fruitful rotation of forwards already in place for the upcoming season, but considering the marginal NBA talent available and how expendable nearly everyone on this list is, it’s quite the opposite.

It would be a surprise if Landry and/or Wallace still remain on the roster after the trade deadline, and Holmes, Aldemir and Wood don’t seem to be anything more than prospects and potential trade assets until they prove otherwise.

Holmes showed flashes in his three summer league appearances, averaging 9.7 points and 4.7 boards, along with a steal and a block each before fracturing his elbow. Aldemir, on the other hand, averaged only 2.3 points and 4.3 rebounds for Philly last season, but managed to haul in 13.3 boards and convert .429 percent of his three-point attempts in summer league action.

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Considering the potential Bennett certainly possesses, – he wouldn’t have been the No. 1 overall pick without it, regardless of 2013 being a weak draft – and the sheer athleticism and monstrous power Bennett displays when attacking the rim, it would be hard to argue against him assuming the backup power forward role behind Noel sooner than later.

The Sixers are in no position to compete for a playoff spot for at least another year or two, so there wouldn’t be the expectations of significantly contributing towards a playoff run, as opposed to other potential landing spots.

And considering all eyes in Philly will be on Jahlil Okafor’s rookie campaign, the progression of Noel and the point guard conundrum, stepping in as a role player off the bench on a team that places emphasis on patiently developing its youth, Bennett would enter a perfect environment with little immediate pressure.

As for the Sixers, adding Bennett could prove to be beneficial, in both the short and long term sense.

Despite all the criticisms and shortcomings Bennett has endured throughout his two years as a pro, the numbers with what opportunities he has seen allude to his potential. Per 36 minutes, Bennett averaged 12 points and 8.7 rebounds last season with Minnesota.

Compare those efforts to another stretch forward, who just earned himself a five-year, $85 million extension with the Golden State Warriors: although Draymond Green just concluded his third NBA season, Bennett’s per 36 stats surprisingly trump Green’s 10.2 points and 8.2 rebounds from 2013-14.

Of course, different circumstances surround the two, but the numbers indicate Bennett could develop into a valued contributor at some point in the near future, if given the opportunity; similar to the role Green plays for the Warriors.

He’s never played more than 15.7 minutes per game, which certainly doesn’t aid in developing young talent, and the Sixers are in no shortage of playing time to allocate; all but two of the 25 players who suited up for Philly last season played at least 10 minutes per game, and if Bennett became a Sixer, I’d expect that number to jump to around 25-27 minutes per game.

With the appropriate playing time and individual development provided to Bennett, the Sixers could discover a versatile forward that could stretch the floor as a forward when Noel or Okafor are sidelined.

And when the rotation allows, Bennett could even step in as a small forward, and he’s plenty capable of doing so in limited stretches, converting .331 percent of his looked from 16 feet out to the perimeter, and just better than 30 percent from deep.

And the case for Bennett’s versatility only strengthens when you consider he looked to be in the best physical condition of his career during the Pan Am games.

If the experiment weren’t to pan out, it would hardly affect the Sixers, who have very little frontcourt solidity outside of Okafor and Noel, along with an excess of money to play with in search of a piece worth keeping — $11,112,732 for 2015 with cap holds, to be specific, per spotrac.

But if Philly were to gamble on Bennett and it paid dividends, not only would the Sixers add some depth and versatility to the frontcourt moving forward with a multi-positional forward, but it would reduce the number of holes in fill in the 2016 NBA Draft and allow Hinkie to focus on the perimeter.

Between Bennett’s need to find a situation tapered towards this current predicament in his career – heading for his third team in just as many years after proving very little – and the Sixers need for depth and solidity, this pairing would make perfect sense for both sides.

And considering the Sixers have already attempted to acquire Bennett in the past by way of a trade that would have sent Thaddeus Young to Minnesota, it shouldn’t come as any surprise when the Sixers once again toss their name out there for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Next: NBA: Complete Offseason Grades For All 30 Teams

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