With the lack of depth at the point guard position, the Philadelphia 76ers should consider bringing in Euroleague draft-and-stash Vasilije Micić.
Ever since trading Michael Carter-Williams, the Philadelphia 76ers have lacked a true point guard. During the “Process” era, they tried out guys like Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith in the lineup in the hopes of getting things going. Nevertheless, the Sixers hit the lottery when they selected Ben Simmons first overall back in 2016.
Now, the Philadelphia 76ers have the point guard of their dreams in Ben Simmons. That’s without question. While he could obviously improve from a shooter’s perspective, Simmons is the guy. That said, the Sixers lack depth at the backup spot.
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Interestingly enough, the Sixers took then-FC Bayern Munich, currently Anadolu Efes’s Vasilije Micić with the 52nd pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. That draft class brought the Sixers a ton of wealth in players like Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, but no one expected much past that. On top of that, the 52nd pick has not reaped the best rewards. Oddly enough, the best player to be selected there was Fred Hoiberg.
Most teams don’t expect to draft a long-lasting player at 52. To think that a team would potentially find their backup point guard at that spot is even crazier. For what it’s worth, most people didn’t expect Micić to ever come over. His Euroleague career didn’t start off on the right foot, either.
During his time with FC Bayern Munich from 2014 to 2016, Micić averaged 5.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He didn’t get a ton of playing time, leading to Micic finding himself lost in the shuffle. He then spent time with two other clubs after that. It wasn’t until Micić ended up on Anadolu Efes where he flourished. This past season, Micić 14.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game on 40.0 percent shooting from three and 96.4 shooting from the free-throw line. It was a breakout year for the 6-5 Serbian.
Since then, Vasilije Micić was asked what he plans on doing next season. He gave two options: return to Anadolu Efes or pursue an NBA career. Since his rights are with the Sixers, they would be the team he would end up with. Ultimately, this could be the break that the Sixers absolutely need.
Vasilije Micic on his future: „Anadolu Efes or the NBA – it's the only scenarios I have for the next season“.
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) May 8, 2020
Micic, who played his career season (14.5ppg, 5.8apg), is under the contract with Efes until 2021. His NBA rights owned by the Sixers, but more NBA teams are after him.
Because the Sixers lack depth at the point guard position, Vasilije Micić would be an immediate upgrade. Currently, the only real point guard on the roster besides Simmons is Raul Neto. No disrespect to Neto, but he lacks size and is best suited as the third point guard on the roster. Next comes Shake Milton, but he’s still a work in progress. Milton could work as a combo guard since he can create his own shot but needs to develop a little more on the facilitating side of things.
So, why not bring in Micić? He would be an immediate upgrade, to say the least. The Sixers don’t have much at the point guard position. It may make sense to bring him in while they still have his rights.
Vasilije Micić could provide some spacing improvements while also taking some of the load off of Simmons. One of the added benefits to Micić would be his approach to the NBA. He does not require a ton of tender love and care, and will simply step in and do his part. It would be a breath of fresh air for the Philadelphia 76ers, too.
The team lacks the cap space to bring anyone in of major value outside of a trade, an exception in free agency, or through the NBA Draft. This would save the Sixers a major headache, as they can allocate their resources towards other positions.
Overall, the Philadelphia 76ers need to find a way to address their lack of depth at the point guard position. With the recent developments involving Vasilije Micić, the answer may have fallen into their lap. Hopefully, Micić genuinely considers the NBA as an option going forward.