Philadelphia 76ers: Cassius Winston is the best of both worlds

Cassius Winston can fix the Philadelphia 76ers’ (backup) point guard issues.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a, shall we say, interesting history of drafting first-round point guards as of late.

The team drafted college point guard Landry Shamet with the intention of playing him at shooting guard, traded up in the 2017 NBA Draft to select Markelle Fultz with the intention of playing him at shooting guard, and even drafted college power forward Ben Simmons with the intentions of playing him at point guard. Heck, the Sixers haven’t intentionally addressed their lead guard spot since 2013, and even the selection of Michael Carter-Williams was more about his future value than his ability to help the team on the court.

Because of these, shall we say, unusual personnel decisions, the Sixers have been forced to rely on a slew of cheap, oftentimes undrafted guards to soak up meaningful minutes and *spoiler alert* it hasn’t gone amazingly well.

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T.J. McConnell, one of the true gems of ‘The Process’-era, filled his role admirably from 2015-19 and even helped steal Game 4 in the Sixers’ 2018 series against the Boston Celtics, but was ultimately allowed to walk for a two-year, $7 million deal with the Indiana Pacers; a deal Elton Brand could have easily matched if he wanted to. Despite being one of the peskiest pickpockets in the biz, McConnell’s average defensive acumen, ineffective outside shot, and otherwise meh offensive ability made him replaceable when his bargain-bin 76ers contract expired.

Surely things would be better for 2019’s answer to McConnell, Raul Neto, right? I mean sure, he’s the same size, is similarly ineffective on the defensive end of the court, averages 2.9 fewer assists a game and is a much less effective ballhawk, but he knocks down 4.2 percent more of his shots from beyond the arc on twice as many attempts, so why not, right? The Sixers also signed Trey Burke for good measure, despite showing very little interest in actually playing him, but he was ultimately waived to free up a spot for two-way contract standout Norvel Pelle back in February.

Has Neto been amazing? No. Has he been tasked with playing more minutes than anyone would have expected since the NBA’s season restart on August 1st due to a string of injuries? Yes. Why do the 76ers keep doing this to themselves? Your guess is as good as mine.

When in doubt, Brett Brown typically reverts to what he likes to do best, ball movement, and that typically works best with more ball handlers on the court.

Sidebar: Yes, I know there is a very real chance that the Philadelphia 76ers move on from Brett Brown when the 2019-20 season comes to an end, but for the sake of argument, let’s just move forward under the assumption things remain copasetic. It really doesn’t matter too much anyway.

So naturally, now that the Sixers have officially locked up a 2020 first-round pick thanks to a Mike Muscala-led win by the Oklahoma City Thunder, a point guard should be at the tippy top of the team’s wish list, right? I’d venture to say yes.

But who should the Sixers set their sights on? Is there a guard with Neto’s shooting, McConnel’s effort, and enough schematic versatility to run the second unit regardless of who is technically listed as the team’s starting point guard next season? Bonus points if he’s also an upperclassman.

Cassius Winston, come on down.

A three-year starter for the Michigan State Spartans, Winston is one of the most tenured guards in college basketball. He’s played with future lottery picks like Jaren Jackson Jr, made three appearances in March Madness, and even holds the impressive distinction of being the all-time assist leader in the history of the Big Ten Conference.

Sure, Winston is short by NBA standards at 6-foot-nothing, and calling his athleticism ‘elite is beyond generous, but some dudes just know basketball, and believe you me, this dude knows basketball.

Need proof? Check out his 26-minute digital film session with ESPN’S Mike Schmitz, and tell me Winston isn’t worthy of the oftentimes overused phrase ‘floor general’.

By picking Winston in the 2020 NBA Draft, the 76ers would be able to check a number of boxes with a single selection. First and foremost, Winston is a 43 percent 3 point shooter on 4.3 attempts a game, and could easily fill a role similar to Eric Bledsoe in Milwaukee when paired up with their respective team’s 6-foot-10 point forwards. Winston would arguably also be the best passer Simmons has been paired up with since D’Angelo Russell back in high school, which could help to unlock an absolutely lethal lob game the likes of which McConnell and Neto only dream of.

Since 2018, Winston has also averaged 1.1 steals per game, and when the Sixers pick off a turnover with Simmons on the court, you’ve best believe that’s a fast break waiting to happen.

But wait, there’s more. While Simmons and Winston could certainly co-exist in limited action, the 22-year-old’s addition would really do wonders for Joel Embiid’s continued development, as he too hasn’t been paired up with a player with such a varied offensive set of skills as a pro.

Dubbed the best pick-and-roll point guard in the draft by Schmitz, Winston is a wizard when it comes to setting a big guy up for success in the half court, with every trick in the book to take advantage of a misstep. If a big man overcompensates, Winston can shovel the ball inside to Embiid for an easy look in the paint, if they swarm, Winston knows to kick the ball out to an open shooter, and if they sag off into the paint, Winston is fully capable of knocking down an open 3 pointer with the best of them.

No one, not even McConnell, has been able to really unlock Embiid’s potential in the pick-and-roll, so pairing the big man up with a more traditional, dare I say throwback point guard could give the Sixers a slower, different look when Simmons is off the court.

And best of all, Winston’s rookie scale contract, whether selected in the late first-round or early second round, will be dirt cheap by NBA standards, allowing Philly to lock up a building block backcourt piece for close to a half-decade for less than one season of Josh Richardson.

Never discount the desire of any business, even a professional sports franchise, to save a buck whenever possible.

Next. Marial Shayok needs to ball out against the Rockets. dark

Will East Lansing’s favorite son ever develop into an NBA starter? Is he the next Kyle Lowry, an Eric-Bledsoe-level starter, or more of a Dennis Schröder-type who bounces around the league for a decade-plus in a sixth man capacity? Unfortunately, we won’t know until it actually happens. With that being said, the Philadelphia 76ers are in a better position than most to take a shot on a lower-ceiling player in exchange for some instant action, and in that regard, there isn’t a better point guard in this year’s class than Cassius Winston.