Philadelphia 76ers: James Ennis appears open to returning for 2019-20

After elevating his game significantly over his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers, it looks like James Ennis is open to the possibility of picking up his player option.

When the Philadelphia 76ers made a last-minute, deadline skirting trade to acquire James Ennis from the Houston Rockets, it added yet another cog to the team’s Rube Goldberg-esque roster.

With 15 players already signed, Elton Brand first had to decide on who he was going to be waive to free up a roster spot, with the obvious choice being Malachi Richardson, who the team acquired from the Toronto Raptors hours earlier along with a future second round pick for cash.

From there, the team had to decide whether or not Ennis actually fit their scheme, an answer that became obvious after an ill-fated rotational wing gauntlet against Furkan Korkmaz and Jonathon Simmons.

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And now, with the season unfortunately over, the third Domino in the Ennis-saga is about to fall, as the 28-year-old Ventura, California native has a player-option to remain with the team for the 2019-20 season worth $1.85 million.

Now initially, this seemed like it might be a problem, as the Sixers are already straddling the cap, and having to dish out not insignificant money to let a player walk it’s obviously not ideal, but after watching Ennis average almost 10 points a game over the course of the postseason and become the team’s unquestioned top reserve, the opposite question began to rear its head; will James Ennis opt out to pursue a bigger contract elsewhere?

Well Philly fans, after suffering through a crushing loss on what feels like the longest buzzer beater in basketball history, we now have a hint at an answer.

On his Instagram page, Ennis posted a sort of elegy to the 2018-19 season, thanking his teammates, fans, and coaches for their support, and vowing to ‘run it back next season’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxaXkZonput/

Now, maybe this is some sick joke, and he means next season when he’s playing for the Warriors, but unlike a player like, say, Jimmy Butler who may be more inclined to pull such a charade, that doesn’t appear to be in Ennis’ makeup.

The literal personification of Philadelphia’s blue-collar work ethic, Ennis isn’t the kind of player who puts up flashy stats or is particularly good at any one area. No, he’s a lunch pail player who comes in, can shoot a little bit, and cover multiple positions, and above all else is willing to put his body on the line every play and crash the glass for a rebound.

James Ennis is ‘Philly tuff’.

Measuring in at 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, Ennis is often placed on bigger players but as highlighted by his seamless fit into Brett Brown switch-heavy defense, any lack of elite traits, be they a lack of size, speed, or hops, are typically neutralized by the guard/forward’s impressive efforts.

Could, and should he spend the summer becoming a more consistent 3-point shooter? Most definitely, as his outside shot was among the worst statistical attempts on the team over their postseason run (more on that here), but for a 28-year-old journeyman who’s essentially playing on a veteran minimum deal, you can’t expect a fully rounded player who does everything really well.

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No, for better or for worse, James Ennis is a role player, and for a team like the Philadelphia 76ers who are desperate for consistent effort off the bench, potentially getting him back for a full season on a very team friendly contract is a welcome consolation prize after an ugly, unfair loss.