Philadelphia 76ers land two players in bottom half of SI’s top 100

Sports Illustrated released the bottom half of their top 100 players going into the 2017- 2018 season, with two players from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Clearly, Philadelphia 76ers fans have a lot of hope for this season. Some might say that we overestimate how well this year will pan out. In terms of talent, the team has definitely made an overhaul over the past few seasons. Today, Sports Illustrated put out their top 100 players going into this season (100- 51).

Last year, the only Sixer to make the Sports Illustrated top 100 was Nerlens Noel at 84. This year, he dropped down two spots to 86. Ultimately, this brings up the concern of impact. Noel definitely made an impact for the Dallas Mavericks on the defensive end, but not much of one offensively. Anyway, let’s stick to the current Sixers.

Interestingly enough, two of the players that made the list play for the Sixers. Oddly enough, the Robert Covington landed the 82nd spot, while J.J. Redick landed the 59th spot. Covington placed between of the Houston Rockets’ Eric Gordon and the Detroit Pistons’ Tobias Harris. Redick was wedged between former Sixer and current New Orleans Pelican Jrue Holiday and another Rocket in Clint Capela. Both players are well deserving of their spots, but I have a sense that Covington was undersold on.

Justifying RoCo

Both players are well deserving of their spots, but I have a sense that Covington was undersold on.  According to SI’s Ben Golliver, here’s the logic behind the selection:

"Whereas other defense-first wings like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Andre Roberson do not appear in our Top 100, the 26-year-old Covington earned the nod because he should be something better than completely hopeless on offense."

At the very least, Sports Illustrated gave Robert Covington the benefit of the doubt. They gave him much more credit for his defense than his offense. Now, I believe Covington will have a “breakout year” in a sense. I think he’ll do more of the same thing that Sixers fans have seen him do. The only thing is, people will actually watch him go to work. Overall, I think this spot makes sense. Over time, I feel as though Covington will move up the list, may into the 70s.

Justifying J.J.

To me, Redick’s spot made sense. For a guy with as much experience as he does, I can’t imagine him landing a much higher spot. Certainly, he’s not a top 50 player in the NBA, but top 60 makes sense. Here’s a quick look at the reasoning behind the pick:

"While often overmatched physically and athletically at the two, Redick is a solid and disciplined defender who brings a level of experience not otherwise found on Philadelphia’s roster."

Honestly, I can’t get mad at this. Redick will most likely play the starting two-guard role and hopefully shoot 40 percent from three. Beyond playing a little defense, I don’t really think we can demand much more out of him. His job will be to provide that veteran leadership that the Philadelphia 76ers have been lacking for a while. Other than that, I think he should be fine.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers: Depth, familiarity will be the key this season

Tomorrow, we’ll find out whether or not any other Philadelphia 76ers players make the list. Did Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney give Joel Embiid the benefit of the doubt? Did they reward Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons based on upside? Did T.J. McConnell make the top ten? The world may never know. Just kidding! See you tomorrow!