Philadelphia 76ers: The uncertain future of Shaquille Harrison

In the NBA, teams can only have 17 players max; 15 of regular contracts, and two more on two-way deals.

That’s a finite resource. Every team has to follow those rules, and there are very few situations where a team is allowed to exceed that number.

How teams opt to fill those roster spots, however, is completely subjective.

Some teams like to load up on shooters, while others focus on multi-positional defenders or facilitators of varying sizes. Some teams built their roster around a Big 3 plus veteran minimum guys, while others like the Orlando Magic build around well-paid youngsters sans a true max player, and others still like the Chicago Bulls fall somewhere in between.

But why, you may ask, am I breaking this down for you? Well, because the Philadelphia 76ers have a player by the name of Shaquille Harrison who has unquestionably earned a spot on their roster but is likely the odd man out heading out of preseason due to the unfortunate numbers game.

The Philadelphia 76ers should find a creative way to retain Shaquille Harrison.

In my humble opinion, Shaquille Harrison is one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 15 best players right now.

Yes, one can quibble over these basic rankings, with some suggesting any given player a few spots higher or lower, but by my general estimation, Harrison falls above both 2021 first-round pick Jaden Springer and two-way contract players Aaron Henry and Grant Riller, who is currently out with a knee injury.

Heck, one could make a serious argument that in this very moment, Harrison brings more to the table than 2021 second-round pick Charles Bassey, even if the former Hilltopper could surely clear that bar in the not too distant future.

Measuring in at 6-foot-7, 190 pounds, Harrison is a big, rangy point guard who can score, assist, and defender at an NBA level. While he isn’t what you would call a shooter, as he’s attempted less than 200 3 point shots over his 182 game NBA career, Harrison at least attempts the shot when it’s open, even if they only fall 28.3 percent of the time.

In the modern-day NBA, Harrison can play any position from big ball one to small-ball four and is basically tailor-made for the switch-happy defensive scheme that is almost a necessity when facing off against a team like the Brooklyn Nets.

Is Harrison a better defender than Matisse Thybulle? No, frankly, you’d be hard-pressed to find a dozen players league-wide who fit that bill, but he’s good; easily top-50 in the NBA regardless of position, maybe higher or lower, depending on your taste.

What about passing? Isn’t it rather telling that Doc Rivers started Furkan Korkmaz and Isaiah Joe over Harrison versus Brooklyn? Well, that might have more to do with roster composition than the current depth chart, but yet again, Harrison isn’t going to make anyone forget about Chris Paul anytime soon. At best, Harrison is more of a connective guy who keeps the ball moving than a Bobby Fischer with a basketball, but again, those players provide value too.

In the NBA, star players are the key to winning. But players like Harrison are essential too; they’re the connective future that keeps a roster together.

But what are the Sixers’ options if they want to keep Harrison in the oeuvre?

Well, the most obvious option is simple: Waive Riller and sign Harrison to a two-way contract. With Riller presumably out for the foreseeable future but the team unable to fire for a disabled player exception due to the nature of his two-way contract, releasing Riller while he works his way back to full strength would allow the team to maintain 17 players who could theoretically see the court on opening night, even if two-way guys seldom get action that early in the season and Ben Simmons’ on-court future is very unclear.

Alternatively, the team could sign Harrison to a deal with the Delaware Blue Coats, where he could be a phone call away from the active roster if someone does suffer a season-ending injury or a roster spot is opened up via trade. This route is decidedly riskier, as Harrison may have more expansive opportunities elsewhere either on other NBA rosters, on two-way contracts, or even overseas, but if his market is light, it involves the least moving parts and a similar return.

Make no mistake about it, by waiving Harrison, the Sixers have opened up uncertainty about the 28-year-old combo guard’s future, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely done with him either.

Who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m much, much higher on Shaquille Harrison than the Philadelphia 76ers, and we’ll never see him don a red, white, and blue uniform again, be that a Blue Coats jersey or otherwise. But seemingly every time Harrison took the court for the team during the preseason, he lowkey flashed in one way or another. For a team looking to win a lot of games both in the regular season and in the playoffs, having a professional like Harrison around just makes the team better, even if he only plays meaningful minutes in dire situations.

Update: Shaquille Harrison has signed with the Delaware Blue Coats. All in all, a pretty good outcome.