Examining Philadelphia 76ers' Options To Solve Point Guard Problem

The Philadelphia 76ers have a logjam in the frontcourt. The backcourt comes with the opposite problem, especially at the point guard position.

In the past four seasons since The Process officially began, the Philadelphia 76ers have tried out point guard after point guard without any of them truly sticking. From Jeremy Pargo to Marquis Teague to Isaiah Canaan, the Sixers have tried them all.

It’s high time that this team found a floor general to pair with Joel Embiid for the long road. Two drafts ago, D’Angelo Russell was the potential answer, but the Los Angeles Lakers went out on a limb and snatched him up one pick before the Sixers. Instead, Philly ended up with Jahlil Okafor who spends more time in the trade rumors column than on the court. The last point guard who they drafted in the first round was Elfrid Payton, but he was traded on draft day to the Orlando Magic in a move which brought Dario Saric plus their own first round draft pick back.

No Mo’ Mo

They recently claimed Mo Williams off waivers, but that was just a move to get closer to the salary floor. He has since been waived, again. And their most recent addition, Chasson Randle is getting a second 10-day contract, though he likely isn’t the solution the Sixers need. It’s clear that they have a dilemma at point guard; solving that problem, however, lacks a clear direction.

The NBA has a few different ways to acquire a point guard, including the draft, free agency, a trade or through the waiver wire. Still, it’s possible that the remedy to this point guard problem is already on the roster, and he might not have even suited up yet. Here’s a look at the options.

Option 1: The Draft

The 2017 NBA Draft is loaded with talented point guards. This means the Sixers won’t be putting all of their eggs in one basket and ending up with another big man.

Of all the prospects, Markelle Fultz — the freshman from Washington — looks to be the most promising. According to DraftExpress, Fultz possesses the “ability to create space with his size, ball-handling skills and advanced footwork.”

He simply knows how to put the ball in the basket.

Through 18 games at Washington, Fultz is averaging 23.1 points per game, 6.2 assists per game, and is shooting 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line. He even scored a career-high 37 points in a game against Colorado just a few days ago.

Most draft experts agree that Fultz is the best player in the Draft, so the Sixers would almost definitely need to get the number one overall pick for him to be suiting up in red, white and blue next season. But the 76ers have some tricks up their sleeve when it comes to the 2017 NBA Draft.

Have A Ball

The next best point guard available is Lonzo Ball from UCLA. Also a freshman, Ball possesses everything a coach would want in a point guard. His play-making skills are top-notch, and his ability to score makes him a great consolation prize if Fultz is gone when the Sixers pick.

After 20 games at UCLA, the frosh is averaging 14.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from deep. He also has great size for either guard position at 6-foot-6.

Some other names to look out for are Dennis Smith Jr. from NC State, Frank Nitilinka from France, and De’Aaron Fox from Kentucky. NBADraft.net has all five of these point guards going top six in their 2017 NBA Mock Draft, so the Sixers will need either their pick or the Lakers’ pick from the Dwight Howard trade to land in top six in order for them to have a chance at one of these young floor generals.

Option 2: Trade

3 p.m. EST on February 23 is the NBA Trade Deadline. This means that if the Sixers want to find their point guard of the future in this route, they have about a month to do so. Despite this being an unlikely option, there are a handful of players who could be available for the right price. Almost all of these players would require parting with Nerlens Noel or Okafor plus fillers, but with how crowded the front court is, there is enough depth to part with one of the big men.

Ricky Rubio has been on the trade block for a few years now, and Philadelphia might be the place that becomes his new home. While there haven’t been any rumors linking the two parties since the 2016 NBA Draft, a pass-first point guard who can set up Embiid on one end and lock down opposing point guards on the other could be a great fit.

Tragic Dragic

If the Sixers are looking for a better scoring option, their answer could come in the form of Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic, who was been a hot topic in the rumor mills all season. He would immediately give the Sixers a pick-and-roll threat alongside Embiid and a legit second option on offense. This trade would require quite a haul, as Miami reportedly turned down an offer of Nikola Vucevic and a future first round draft selection from the Orlando Magic.

Other Options

The only other point guards who appear to be in the Sixers’ trade wheelhouse would be the Phoenix Suns duo of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. While either would be upgrades over the current point guards on Philadelphia’s roster, the reward might not live up to what either would cost. Bledsoe is a Westbrook-lite type of player, but like the Oklahoma City Thunder guard, his shooting is not stellar. Bledsoe is shooting just 31.3 percent from deep, so he wouldn’t do much to help the spacing.

As for Brandon Knight, he has bounced around as a combo guard who cannot seem to find his rhythm since being traded from Milwaukee in the trade that sent former-Sixer point guard Michael Carter-Williams to the Bucks. Part of that could be the result of his past injury history, but that inconsistency would be a huge gamble for this Process-faithful team; a gamble that is very unlike given the trade history of this team. They’re generally sellers and not buyers.

Lastly, the Sixers could try to trade for Jrue Holiday, but he could walk this summer in free agency, so giving up significant assets for him would be unwise, that is, unless that trade involves Noel and Dario Saric—the players he was traded for on Draft Night four years ago.

Option 3: Free Agency

Over the past few off-seasons, the Sixers have been quiet in free agency — making only minor additions to fill roster spaces. This year could be the year that Philadelphia becomes an attractive option for players. With Embiid and Simmons as up-and-coming NBA stars, the time has never been better to hop on board the Process Train. The one thing that could prevent a point guard from wanting to join is if Philly strikes out on one of the aforementioned prospects come July 1.

The 2017 Free Agent class is loaded with top tier point guard talent. While Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry are pipe dreams at best, Holiday, George Hill, Jeff Teague and Patrick Mills are all good veteran options.

According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Sixers will take a “hard look” at Holiday in free agency. The reunion would reunite the talented point guard with the team that he blossomed on. In basketball terms, Holiday would be able to lead a team full of young talent. The Sixers would get a high-caliber player to be the third guy to pair with Simmons and Embiid . And if nothing else, Sixers fans who hung on to their old Holiday jerseys wouldn’t need to purchase new ones. It’s a win-win-win.

Other Options

George Hill is emerging as a star in Utah when he can stay healthy. He would be a great blue-collar player to add toughness and talent to the roster. It is also worth remembering how well he played on the Indiana Pacers when they were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Add that to Embiid’s lockdown defense and the Sixers have a great defender on the inside and out to build around.

The rest of the options are less exciting. Teague and Mills are really solid NBA players, but neither would take the Sixers to the next level. Some other consolation prizes to monitor are Trey Burke, what’s left of Derrick Rose, and Shaun Livingston. As long as the Sixers don’t end up with Rajon Rondo, they should be in good shape no matter which direction they go in.

Option 4: Stick With Current Guys

It is possible that one of the current point guards could sprout into the answer, but that is extremely unlikely. McConnell can be the occasional unsung hero as he was when he hit the game-winner against the New York Knicks, and Rodriguez shocked the world with his strong play early in the season. Unfortunately, it appears these two are best utilized in reserve roles.

The real wild card on the roster is Simmons. According to reports, Brett Brown will play Simmons at point guard when he’s ready to play. At LSU, the top pick was the primary ball-handler; he possesses all of the skills necessary to run an offense; and, at 6-foot-9, he would be a match up nightmare for any opposing guards—similar to how Jason Kidd experimented with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Without being on the court yet, though, it is hard to gauge how well his skills will translate to the NBA. He also wasn’t a promising offensive threat outside of the paint in college, so his offense will be limited to drives and post-ups.

Figuring out whether or not Simmons is the answer will take time, but when have the Sixers ever been afraid of a process?