The Philadelphia 76ers are ready to stop tanking under new management. That does not mean, however, that they will be a good team next year.
The league may be at its most competitive next season with no teams going into the season planning to tank. That means wins will be hard to come by for the young Sixers.
Instead of focusing on wins, the 76ers will once again be focused on player development. Armed with young talent, that’s the most they can do this year.
That development may mostly focus on their prized rookie. The number one overall pick in the draft, Ben Simmons is expected to be a star in the making. Whether he can reach that ceiling is a different question altogether but the Sixers are going to provide him every opportunity to do so.
In fact, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the young forward will be playing a lot for his new team, unlike teammate Joel Embiid:
This year’s first overall pick, Ben Simmons, won’t have the same restrictions. Look for the 6-10 point forward to play 30-plus minutes a night while initiating the offense. There’s a lot of excitement because of his ability to play anywhere from power forward to point guard.
That’s the right call for a rookie who is expected to lead the franchise moving forward. Give him all the opportunities to grow and learn from his on-court mistakes. Whether Ben Simmons succeeds in the NBA is a difficult question to answer. But the process to help him reach that goal starts now and it appears that the 76ers are helping him do just that.
