How the 76ers Can Get Back on Track

In Philadelphia you either strive or… you’re hated. For the 76ers, the struggle to win and regain the love of their fans has seemed to get harder and harder. With each season looking worse and worse the 76ers need to find help quick and may look like they are finally making moves. The good news for 76ers fans is that they could be on a quick road to recovery. The bad news for 76ers fans is that this season is just going to get worse and worse.

For the 76ers to get any better and finally be a playoff contender they need to take steps that may be quicker than imagined.

First, they need to keep losing. Yes, I said losing. This season is far from savable for the 76ers and right now they have a good shot at the first pick in the 2015 draft. To take the first step towards winning is to secure a top three pick and draft D’Angelo Russell. Russell may be the best overall player in the draft and is the best guard option. The 76ers need that scoring guard and Russell looks like he can be the answer. Averaging 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists a game; Russell brings the combo guard threat the 76ers are missing. Also, Russell is the perfect height for the ginormous 76ers. At 6’5, Russell fits in perfectly with 6’6 point guard Michael Carter-Williams and the 7-foot big men Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. I’m not saying throw the rest of the season for a draft pick, but maybe Carter-Williams and Noel can take a few games off towards the end to give younger players some playing time.

Next they need to make sure Embiid is healthy. As great of a player as he is, no team is winning a championship with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute as their power forward. The 76ers need to get Embiid to the best trainers they have and make sure he is 100% by next season. Even with all the talk of Embiid’s motivation, or lack of, he still proved more than enough in college to make him a serious threat. At 7-foot 250 pounds Embiid has all the physical attributes you need to be a successful and dominate center in the NBA and with Nerlens Noel next to him he shouldn’t have any trouble doing so. Once Embiid is back, the 76ers need to move Noel to power forward and see if the two can become the scariest big men in the NBA.

Robert Covington and JaKarr Sampson are the two young guys that the 76ers are hoping pan out into potential starters. Unfortunately for Sampson, there’s only going to be one opening in the starting line up and Covington is going to take it. The two guards are almost identical in every physical aspect. Covington at 6’9 215 pounds and Sampson at 6’9 214 pounds these two fit the small forward role almost perfectly. Covington has the edge on the starting job simply because he’s a better producer. Since coming to Philly at the beginning of the 2014-2015 season, Covington has averaged 13.2 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. Those are perfect numbers for basically the last threat in the starting five. When the 76ers traded for Covington they had him in their redevelopment plans and so far he has shown to have the potential to be a well-balanced small forward.

Although I don’t think JaKarr Sampson and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute should be starting next season for the 76ers, they should be good role players. Also, Tony Wroten should be the team’s biggest factor off the bench, but shouldn’t be too big of a factor. This season Wroten leads the team in points per game and steals per game and was a key factor in all of the teams 12 wins so far this season. Sadly, it’s only been 12 and because of that there needs to be some changes. Mbah a Moute, Sampson, and Wroten should be the first three off the bench next season and should continue to see quality minutes with the rebuild.

Finally, the 76ers need to do what every 76ers’ fan doesn’t want them to do. Put the team in Michael Carter-Williams’ hands. The team traded away an all-star point guard in Jrue Holiday, putting faith in the hope that MWC would be their next Allen Iverson, and to finally make that happen they need to give the ball the Carter-Williams and say, “go win.” If this off-season works out the way that Philadelphia hopes it does than Carter-Williams should have enough firepower around him to bring Philly back to a playoff team. Every championship contender in the NBA has the superstar that leads the team and makes big plays, and Michael Carter-Williams has shown that he can do both. If the 76ers want to become the playoff contender they can be then Michael Carter-Williams needs to be the face of the team and the true leader he can be.

If Philly is able to put together the offseason they need and finally put all the pieces together, than they may possibly be a big playoff threat in the future. These changes and additions to the team may be exactly what they need and can finally give the wonderful fans of Philadelphia what they’ve been waiting for. A successful offseason and a few lineup changes and the Philadelphia 76ers may be back to their winning ways.