April 26, 2016
Bryan Colangelo is saying almost all of the right things. We talk a lot about the delicate balance of trying to move the Sixers forward while also not making any moves that jeopardize the team’s long-term future (i.e. cutting corners), and the new president of basketball operations sounds like he grasps the challenge at hand. Here’s Colangelo talking free agency on Sixers Beat with our pal Derek Bodner:
“This year there’s a lot of uncertainty, a lot of unknowns. We have to let some of it play out. This might not be the year that a big splash is made in free agency, but key pieces, or glue pieces, what I’ll call team building pieces, will be added to try to put a balanced roster on the court for coach [Brett] Brown.”
With the salary cap jumping up and almost the entire league flush with cap space, you could argue that it’s one of the worst years ever to try to make “a big splash.” There are going to be some contracts handed out this summer by desperate teams that will make your head spin.
At the same time, the Sixers need to make significant roster changes after a 10-win season. Some of those should/could come internally (Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, First Round Pick X, Possible Lakers Pick X), and some of those will be what Colangelo described as “team building pieces.”
We’ll wait for another day to make a guess as to which free agents make sense for the Sixers. For now, let’s take a look at the current roster and make our best guess at who sticks around. Today we begin with the guards.
Easily the toughest decision of this group. Unlike the rest of these guards, Smith is an unrestricted free agent. If he finds a landing spot with a contender as a backup point guard, he controls his situation.
By this point, we all know who Smith is as a basketball player. For the last two years, he has admirably taken on a gigantic burden that he’s nowhere near capable of handling. Not with this supporting cast, anyway. For reporters, he’s a great interview. Smith might be the fastest player in the league, but he’s also a career 36.8 percent shooter. Next year, the Sixers’ crunch-time offense can’t be Ish hero ball.
The question is if Smith makes sense of the next phase of Sixers basketball. Tentatively, I’ll say that a split makes more sense for both sides.
Verdict: Go
Stauskas needs to shoot better than 32.6 percent from three-point range and 77 percent from the free-throw line. Much better, even. This is what I wrote when the Sixers acquired the Michigan product:
As a throw-in attached to money that the Sixers had to spend anyway (salary floor), there is a lot of logic in taking a flier on Stauskas. He has the pedigree of a guy that can help remedy the Sixers’ biggest weakness, their abysmal outside shooting. After all, this is the dude who made 102 triples in five minutes. If the Sixers really are going to play inside-out with Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and possibly Joel Embiid, they’re going to need knockdown three-point shooting. Stauskas didn’t showcase high-level marksmanship as an NBA rookie, but it’s reasonable to think he’ll improve.
The improvement didn’t happen, and for that reason alone, Stauskas had a disappointing season. Quietly, though, Stauskas was able to improve his efficiency by attacking the rim more and shooting 47.3 percent from inside the arc. Just like in his rookie year, Stauskas was much better after the All-Star break. The numbers don’t totally bare it out, but Sauce Castillo can make some plays off the dribble, too.
If I were to guess, most of those “team building pieces” will be guards. Still, I think it makes sense to keep Stauskas around and see if he can rediscover his shooting touch.
Verdict: Stay
Isaiah Canaan has the coveted NBA skill that we always talk about: He can make threes. Problem is, we might be focusing on that skill because the other elements of his game aren’t up to par. At the end of the day, Lil’ Sip is a 6’0” shooting guard that has trouble defending and making plays for his teammates.
Verdict: Go
Really tough year for Marshall, who saw his production in many areas (but specifically shooting) drop off a cliff from a strong 2014-15 showing in Milwaukee. It took until December for Marshall to get back on the floor after the torn ACL, and he was bounced from the rotation by Smith and T.J. McConnell shortly after.
Verdict: Go
McConnell is a favorite of Brett Brown, and despite the fact that Xfinity Live bouncers don’t know who he is, he quietly proved that he can capably run an NBA second unit. According to win shares, McConnell had a better rookie year than Emmanuel Mudiay, D’Angelo Russell, Jerian Grant, Stanley Johnson, Mario Hezonja, and Jahlil Okafor. I don’t think he’s better than most of those players, but the point is that McConnell did acquit himself well in that role.
A longshot last year at training camp, I would guess McConnell sticks around. Signed to a Hinkie Special, the contract could be very good value, especially if he can become a more effective shooter off the dribble.
Verdict: Stay
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
