Philadelphia 76ers Complete 2016-17 Preview

The stench of the Philadelphia 76ers’ radical rebuilding plan still lingers above the City of Brotherly Love.

Even with the promise of a brighter future, the present is a mystery. And the past is a mess of mismatched rosters, over-their-head youngsters and a mountain of losses—199 over the past three seasons, 18 more than any other NBA team and at least 100 more than eight different franchises. 

But the most painful part of The Process is finished. The architect, Sam Hinkie, is out, and his successor, Bryan Colangelo, has shifted priorities back to the win column. Yet it’s the talent uncovered by Hinkie’s methodical management that could help the Sixers change their fortune.

Those defeats paid tangible benefits, none more so than the lottery prize secured by last season’s abysmal 10-72 performance. The Sixers snared their first No. 1 pick since 1996 (Hall of Famer Allen Iverson) and spent it on 6’10” playmaker Ben Simmons.

“He impacts everything,” Colangelo said, per CSN Philly’s Jessica Camerato. “I think he’s going to impact the outlook for the organization. He’s going to impact the outlook for fans. Once again, this has been a long, painful process. I think he gives them reason for hope.”

Simmons projects as a potential franchise-changer. He had a wildly productive one-year stay at LSU. The collegiate game hadn’t seen a player average 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists since at least 1994. Simmons’ nightly contributions to the Tigers were 19.2 points (on 56 percent shooting), 11.8 boards and 4.8 helpers. Over six NBA Summer League outings, he managed 10.8, 7.7 and 5.5, respectively.

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The key to unlocking Philly’s potential rests in Simmons’ vision, selflessness and creativity. The roster remains lopsided with a glut of high-ceiling bigs and mostly uninspiring options around the perimeter. But the skill level up front is strong, especially with Joel Embiid finally healthy and Dario Saric finally stateside.

“Going forward, Philly will make its bones with Simmons outrunning bigs, out-muscling littles, lofting oops, and flicking assists to shooters camped around the arc,” The Ringer’s Ben Detrick wrote. “He can be the Delaware Valley’s answer to LeBron James or Draymond Green: an uber-skilled forward who gives his team the gleam of futurism.”

The Sixers need more finishers around Simmons, but the talent base ballooned over the offseason. They took minimal hits in free agency—although Ish Smith will be missed—while adding both prospects (Simmons, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot) and proven commodities (Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson and Sergio Rodriguez).

They won’t be overnight contenders, but their days as a punching bag could be behind them.

Rotation Breakdown

Head coach Brett Brown should write his lineups in pencil because they’ll be among the league’s most fluid.

Simmons’ ceiling sits highest as a gigantic lead guard, but his first NBA assignment will come at the forward spot. As Brown told NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper, Philly will be careful not to throw too much too fast at its new franchise face:

I think the point-guard position is the hardest position to play in the NBA as a first-year player, let alone as a person that’s played a four man his whole life. …

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