In case you haven’t noticed, the NBA is in a bit of a crisis at the moment.
With double-digit players added to the COVID-list in each of the past three days, games have been postponed, rotations have been altered, and teams around the association have been scouring the G-League and free agency for live bodies to sign to 10-day contracts.
Could the Philadelphia 76ers have used an extra body roughly a month ago, when they were trotting out less than 10 players in a move eerily similar to the Seven Sixers from back in January? Most definitely, it would have been nice to see a new player or two on the court for the Sixers, but alas, I digress.
What is a major – or minor – league bummer, however, is watching Shaquille Harrison, a summer standout for the Philadelphia 76ers that the team was able to sneak onto their G-League roster, sign a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets one day after they beat the bricks off Doc Rivers‘ squad down only Georges Niang – Ben Simmons – and Tyrese Maxey.
The Philadelphia 76ers should try to re-sign Harrison when his 10 days are up.
If the Philadelphia 76ers had an open roster spot coming out of camp, I genuinely believe Shaquille Harrison would be on the team today.
Sure, he’s not a hyper athlete, a polished shooter, or a guard capable of adding to the primary or even secondary playmaking coming off the bench, but he’s big, long, can play/guard positions 1-4 in a pinch, and most importantly of all, puts in effort every time he takes the court.
In games without Tyrese Maxey – like the team’s most recent bout against Harrison’s new team – Harrison could serve as a backup point guard for the 14 minutes Shake Milton was out of the game. Similarly, in contests where the Sixers find themselves in need of a big wing defender, Harrison could surely help to set a hard edge on the perimeter, as the 28-year-old stands 6-foot-7, 190 pounds with long arms and a knack for picking off passes.
Heck, I’m such a fan of Harrison that I could see some team – maybe Brooklyn, if he sticks around long enough – tasking him with putting on, say 20-30 pounds and giving him a try at super-small-ball center, as he’s a much better defender than Georges Niang with the added boost of being a college point guard.
Remember how the NBA was obsessed with finding point forwards a few years back? Harrison played 36 percent of his snaps at small forward last season and could perfectly fill that role on a team with a ton of shooting but a lack of size.
Hmmm… now who does that sound like? Eh, why worry about it now?
If the Philadelphia 76ers were to trade Ben Simmons in a deal where more players leave than come back, Shaquille Harrison felt like the G-League player in waiting to either take a two-way spot if Grant Riller and/or Aaron Henry was elevated or to take on a full-on roster spot himself. Could that still happen? Yes, but only if the Brooklyn Nets opt not to sign him to a full-on contract, which they just might, considering his obvious fit on defense. Remember how Brooklyn has been linked to Ben Simmons in a Kyrie Irving trade all season long? How much would it stink to see the team land a player with a Ben-lite game and get Irving back for road games? Yeah, not ideal.