Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: An Outside Look On The Team

By George Kondoleon

Apr 12, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) takes a pass during shooting drills prior to playing Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) takes a pass during shooting drills prior to playing Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia 76ers
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In your opinion, do you think the past three seasons of bad basketball were worth this current Philadelphia 76ers core of prospects?

Dave: If you aren’t a championship contender, meaning top 4 seed in either conference, tanking makes a lot of sense. Team building in the NBA is asset driven. The James Harden trade sort of brought all of this to the forefront, but it has gone on for as long as the lottery has existed. The fastest and most consistent ways to attain valuable assets are free agency and the Draft. If you are not a free agent destination, you have to play the lottery game. Given the overabundance of young talent on this roster, I’d say the last few years were worth it. In 3 years, when Philly is competing in the playoffs, no one will be thinking about these terrible years.

Ti: That’s tough. It’s easy to want to say yes based on the young talent that is here, but on the other hand the unfortunate side of things is that the 76ers are absolutely flooded with bigs. Even with that logjam, Ben Simmons might be worth all of the tanking himself, if he really does turn out to be the generational prospect he’s been billed as. There are kinks to be worked out here and this team is far from good at the moment, but it’s undeniable that the 76ers roster is more stuffed with potential then it would’ve been if the team stuck with Jrue Holiday.

Duncan: I think so. This core has a lot of potential, especially if Ben Simmons can make a speedy recovery from his fractured foot. The Sixers have virtually uncapped upside right now which is a really exciting place to be after so much misery recently.

Advith: The losing was unwatchable at times, but I do think the past three seasons of horrid basketball were worth the current core of prospects that the Sixers boast. Simmons and Embiid in particular have the potential to be a game-changers, while Noel can be relied on for energy on both ends of the court. It remains to be seen how Okafor fits, but he is still an undeniably talented player who could make it work in Philly. In the NBA, it’s better to be a team on the rise than to be one that is meddling in mediocrity. The Sixers exemplify the former, which justifies the perennial losing these last few seasons.

Adam: Yes, without hesitation. I can’t fully relate having not gone through the situation personally, but looking at Embiid, Simmons, Noel, Dario Saric, and Okafor how can you not be excited by that? Sam Hinkie’s process worked, even if people fail to accept or recognize that now that he’s gone. The crown jewel is Simmons, but Embiid is the perfect piece to have alongside him as their future core. Now they can build around that into a serious Championship contender, but there is still a lot of work ahead.