Philadelphia 76ers: Grading their signings in NBA free agency

Philadelphia 76ers. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia 76ers. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers, NBA free agency Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia 76ers had a tremendous regular season in 2020-21. They finished with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and looked like favorites to have an easy run into at least the Eastern Conference Finals. Much to the dismay of the team and the fans, this was not to be.

The 76ers cruised through their first-round matchup against the Washington Wizards until the fourth game of the series. This is when Joel Embiid went up against Robin Lopez and came down awkwardly on his knee, tearing his meniscus. The 76ers were able to take the fifth game which allowed them to move through to the semi-finals against the Atlanta Hawks.

The 76ers would go on to lose this series in six games and then there was a level of fallout, with Ben Simmons taking most of the blame. While he did struggle from the line there were so many issues in the 76ers lineup which were exploited by the Hawks, particularly after Danny Green got injured during the series. Now the 76ers face another offseason of questions.

Philadelphia 76ers NBA free agency signing No. 1: Georges Niang

The 76ers moved on from Mike Scott, instead choosing to sign Georges Niang to a two-year, $6.8 million deal which is reasonable for a player like Niang. Niang has improved his game every season, especially from the perimeter where he is a career 40.4 percent shooter.

He provided key reserve minutes off the bench for the Utah Jazz last year. His floor spacing was a big reason that the Jazz were able to keep scoring with their second unit on the floor. The 76ers will be hoping that Niang can do this again in the 2021-22 season.

Grade: B-