2016 Philadelphia 76ers

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Philadelphia 76ers (Last Year: 10-72)

2016-17 Projected Depth Chart:

C: Jahlil Okafor/Joel Embiid

PF: Nerlens Noel/Carl Landry/Richaun Holmes

SF: Jerami Grant/Robert Covington

SG: Nik Stauskas/Hollis Thompson/JaKarr Sampson

PG: Isaiah Canaan/T.J. McConnell/Kendall Marshall

NBA Free Agents:

PF-Elton Brand (UFA)

PG-Ish Smith (UFA)

PG-Isaiah Canaan (RFA)

SG-Hollis Thompson (RFA)

PG-T.J. McConnell (TO)

PG-Kendall Marshall (TO)

SG-JaKarr Sampson (TO)

2015-16 Team Salary: Approximately $26.8 million

NBA Offseason Team Needs:

1. Direction: General Manager Sam Hinkie was responsible for blowing up the 76ers’ roster and building from scratch. However, he resigned at the end of the season and Jerry Colangelo was brought in to try and clean up Hinkie’s mess. And what a mess it is…

Philadelphia’s youth movement showed zero growth during Hinkie’s three years as the team won an embarrassing 10 games this past season. His prized 2014 lottery picks, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, have yet to play a single NBA game. While the team does have some intriguing young assets and three first-round picks in the 2016 NBA Draft, including the top overall selection, Colangelo needs to quickly figure out what direction he wants to head with this team so the 76ers stop being the laughing stock of the league.

2. Figure out the Frontcourt: With Okafor, Noel, a hopefully healthy Embiid, Saric (if he ends up coming to the NBA), and Ben Simmons (assuming the 76ers end up taking him at No. 1); Philadelphia has a plethora of young players in its frontcourt. The jury is still out however whether all those big bodies complement each other.

3. Guards: Thanks in part to Hinkie ignoring the team’s desperate need for guards the past couple years, the Sixers paraded out starting guards last season who should barely be in the league. There have already been rumors that Philadelphia will shop Noel and/or Okafor in hopes of finding a veteran guard to provide some needed experience and leadership in the backcourt. That will have to be the likely route the team takes since it is unlikely any free agent will be anxious to join a franchise in distress.