by James Finneral
After having one of the longest losing streaks of all time, the Philadelphia 76ers somehow did not finish with the worst record in the NBA. They finished with just 19 wins, but they did show some potential. Sixers starting point guard, Michael Carter Williams won Rookie of the Year last year and should be able to continue his production this season. The Sixers have played well in the summer league and hope it transpires in the regular season.
The 76ers had plenty of picks in this year's draft, but no more important than the number three overall pick where they selected Joel Embiid from Kansas. Embiid is a 7 foot center with tremendous athleticism, but in the few years he has played, Embiid has been injury prone. He suffered a serious foot injury at the end of the season and will most likely not play for Philadelphia this year. This pick could pay dividends for the Sixers, but it is risky to say the least. The Sixers also selected small forwards Jerami Grant and K.J. McDaniels. McDaniels is more suited to play small forward based on his skill set and could start there if Thaddeus Young ends up playing power forward. Grant on the other hand enjoys to play down low, but he is simply to small to play against power forwards in the NBA. Grant is a tremendous talent, but he needs to either develop a wing player's skill set or simply get bigger to play power forward. The Sixer's draft picks this year are investments for the future not right now.
There are two investments the Sixers made in the 2013 NBA Draft that will really pay off for them this year. Michael Carter-Williams was the best rookie in the league last year and frankly one of the better point guards in the NBA overall. At 6'6" Carter-Williams can see over defenders and it shows as he averaged 6 assists per game last season. The height advantage over defenders also helps Carter-Williams in the scoring and rebounding departments. His jump shot improved immensely since his days at Syracuse and he is also great defensively. Nerlens Noel is another potential star the Sixers drafted in 2013. Noel spent last year sidelined due to his ACL injury in his freshman season at Kentucky. He is an incredible shot blocker whose offensive game is coming along. He was on track to be the number one pick until his injury so the Sixers may have got away with robbery by drafting Noel. Noel has looked solid in summer league play and he does not seem to be bothered by his old injury. Noel can certainly step in and be the starting center and be a great rim protector for Philadelphia. This duo will do some damage and set the tone for the Sixers especially on defense.
Lastly who can forget about this team's leading scorer last year, Thaddeus Young. Young is the starting small forward for the Sixers and there were rumors of him being traded. With Young back, the Sixers have a lot more fire power on offense. He is a big strong guy who overpowers defenders to get easy buckets. In fact Young could potentially play the power forward position and move out to the wing often. Young will need to perform well for the Sixers to improve.
This young Sixers team knows they cannot win a championship for at least a few years, but they have a great foundation that can only move forward. There will be a noticeable difference this season and expect the Sixers to win around ten more games than last year. They probably need another season before they are playoff material, but the Sixers are certainly heading in the right direction.
Potential Starting Lineup:
PG: Michael Carter-Williams
SG: Jason Richardson
SF: K.J. McDaniels
PF: Thaddeus Young
C: Nerlens Noel
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