Philadelphia 76ers: Drew Timme just screams Philadelphia

After playing two in a row and six games in the last 10 days, the Philadelphia 76ers – and their fans – finally got a break from the action to sit back, rest up, and potentially even enjoy the very temperate weather before Ben Simmons and the boys return to action versus the Boston Celtics on April 6th.

To some, this might have presented a perfect opportunity to check in on the Sixers’ Philadelphia Sports Complex neighbors, the Philadelphia Phillies, who were coming off of a fantastic showing in an opening series sweep of their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves.

If you fall into that camp, I certainly can’t fault you, but for others, true blue basketball fans down to their core, there’s only one thing to watch on the first Monday in April that effectively trumps all: The Finals of the NCAA “March Madness” Tournament.

While this year wasn’t the best for Philadelphia representation, as both Nova and St. Joe’s were knocked out early on, the Finals present a Godzilla vs. Kong-level contest between two of the best basketball teams college hoops had to offer in 2020-21, the Bulldogs of Gonzaga versus the Baylor Bears.

And, in my humble opinion at least, there’s one player Philly fans should take particular note of in this must-watch contest by the name of Gonzaga power forward Drew Timme. Why? Because this dude couldn’t be more Philadelphia if he was born in a horse-drawn cartridge on July 4th as the Liberty Bell rang in a Phillies no-hitter.

In a perfect world, Drew Timme would fall to the Philadelphia 76ers in the draft.

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Drew Timme is a certified villain.

He’s cocky, arrogant, and the closest thing we’ve seen to Christian Laettner in the college basketball ranks in some time, maybe since Philly’s old pal J.J. Redick was similarly loathed during his tenure with the Duke Blue Devils. From his irreverent style – ranging from his post-ironic handlebar mustache/headband combo to his gleeful charge taking and even his array of post-points celebrations – to his offensively confident demeanor, Timme hasn’t made a lot of fans outside of the West Coast Conference bubble of Spokane, Washington, and between you and me, I don’t think the Richardson, Texas native cares one bit.

Why, you may ask, is this relevant to the City of Brotherly Love? Because the Sixers’ roster has been missing a guy with Timme’s demeanor since Jimmy Butler forced his way to Miami and Joel Embiid went on the straight and narrow following the birth of his son Arthur.

As you probably already know – and surely hold as a badge of honor – the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t too popular outside of our incredibly harsh media bubble. The team eviscerated a lot of the national goodwill from the Allen Iverson-era due to Sam Hinkie’s process and have since become an unconventional, overly confident frontrunner with the best home-court advantage in the NBA and a human cheat code in the paint.

Some rally hard against Embiid’s ever-expanding media portfolio, as the big fella endorses everything from Mountain Dew to Hulu and even Jolly Ranchers, while others will fight to the death in the comments section over Ben Simmons’ lack of an outside shot, his similarity to Lonzo Ball, or whatever wild nitpick happens to be generating impressions on any given day.

Throw in a tall, lanky, 3 point shooting big man who can switch three-five on defense and run the point a bit on offense, and the Sixers’ social media team would surely be fighting off ravenous trolls with a 10-foot pole.

Would Timme look out of place grabbing a Citywide Special at the Xfinity Live after an Eagles game? Outside of his 6-foot-10, 235 frame, he’d basically be invisible, but Timme’s fit in Philly runs deeper than his… blue-collar personality and gruff exterior, he’s actually the exact type of player the 2020-21 Sixers are sorely missing.

You see, Gonzaga’s fast, switch-heavy offensive scheme is not only impressive because of its high-scoring nature, but because it’s largely reminiscent of the pre-Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors. While some will look to Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert as the Evergreen State’s answer to the Splash Brothers, it’s really Timme who serves as the offense’s fulcrum, filling a role similar to noted steak lover Draymond Green. On this season’s iteration of the Sixers, Timme could play power forward as a direct backup to Tobias Harris, share the court with Boban Marjanovic’s best friend in bigger lineups or even kick it inside to play the five in offensive-focused lineups centered around Ben Simmons (more on that here).

Will Timme actually be on the board when the Sixers pick in the first round later this year? Honestly, beats me. It’s entirely possible Timme could return to college for a third season in Spokane or could hear his name called in the early 20s before the Sixers have a chance to make their selection. However, if Timme does somehow last into the mid-to-late 20s of the 2021 NBA Draft, procuring his services would be an absolute baller move by a general manager known for having a flair for the dramatic.

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No matter how you slice it, the Philadelphia 76ers need to find a deep-ball shooting big man to pair up with Ben Simmons when Joel Embiid is off the court. The team’s overall efficiency and point differential drop significantly for the 12ish minutes Embiid is out each contest, and as a general rule, the Sixers would be wise to avoid adding centers who can’t stretch the court regardless of their age, situation, and pedigree. Drew Timme’s on-court game fits that bill, especially since he’ll surely attempt more than 0.7 3s a game at the pro level. But it’s Timme’s personality, presence, and on-court attitude that could add that swaggerific edge that the Sixers have been missing since their Cinderella run in 2019.