NBA Draft 2020: 5 franchises that need to add a point guard

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are synonymous with change.

The pieces around All-Star cornerstones Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have been shuffled and reshuffled, in search of an elusive vision where both players are maximized.

After seemingly going all-in last year by offloading Robert Covington, Dario Šarić, Landry Shamet, and other contracts and draft assets to acquire Jimmy Butler (from Minnesota) and Tobias Harris (from the Clippers) — forming a dominant lineup of Simmons, JJ Redick, Butler, Harris, and Embiid, which carried a plus-19.6 net rating when on the floor together, per PBP Stats — the ensuing offseason was one with brutal departures and questionable signings.

Redick migrated to New Orleans, Butler forced his way to Miami in a sign-and-trade for Josh Richardson, Harris was re-signed to a monster five-year deal, and Al Horford was brought in with the team’s leftover cap space. Unsurprisingly, a starting lineup consisting two centers, two combo-forwards, and a dearth of off-the-bounce shot-making didn’t work out all that well.

As a result, there’s been more change. Brett Brown, one of the few remaining remnants of the Process Era, was fired and replaced by Doc Rivers, who will be tasked with managing egos and constructing a rotation and scheme that meshes with Embiid and Simmons.

Longtime Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, the architect of the key-and-three stylings that would be known as “Morey Ball,” was hired to lead the team’s basketball operations, meaning more trades should be expected.

Though he’s known for his love for pick-and-roll ball-handlers and endless three-pointers, Morey has an established history as an executive who prioritizes acquiring star talent and making the roster fit around them — he did so with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, James Harden and Dwight Howard, Harden and Chris Paul, and then Harden and Russell Westbrook this past season.

The 2020 NBA Draft will not be a salve for the 76ers’ many problems — rookies can only do so much — but it will be a useful avenue for moving assets and acquiring young, inexpensive deals to fill out a roster that will likely see extensive movement (Chris Paul?) this offseason. Two of the biggest areas of need for the 76ers are perimeter shooting and pick-and-roll creation, and with five (!) draft picks at their disposal — Nos. 21, 34, 36, 49, 58 — they have plenty of swings at guard talent.

As mentioned in the Raptors portion of this piece, any one of Grant Riller, Malachi Flynn, and Cassius Winston would be valuable additions to a team in need of cheap creators who can play without the ball. Philadelphia should target any one of these guards with their two early second-rounders.

With the No. 21 pick, Philadelphia has a number of options. Tyrell Terry is unquestionably a potent shooter (40.8% 3PT, 89.1% FT) and can play off-ball, but he’ll need to continue making physical and athletic gains if he’s to threaten defenses as a driver.

Cole Anthony’s pull-up shot-making would be huge for Philadelphia, but if the concerns over Anthony’s headstrong personality and coachability are legitimate, then he may not be an ideal fit for a team that already has chemistry issues, which may or may not be solved by a coach in Doc Rivers who failed to effectively manage egos in Los Angeles.

Perhaps the 76ers should just go with the best shooter available with their first-rounder (Desmond Bane), regardless of position, but it would be best if they selected at least one of these point guards. If they opt to hold onto some of the latter selections and go the draft-and-stash route, then Israel’s Yam Madar (ferocious on-ball pest) and Lithuania’s Rokas Jokubaitis (passing whiz) are great options.

None of these picks are locks to stay in Morey’s hands, as he’s known to wheel and deal draft capital if it helps him offload unwanted contracts and/or acquire superior assets and personnel.

The 76ers have changed drastically in the past two years, and that won’t be stopping anytime soon.