Team-By-Team: The Philadelphia 76ers

The season that was:

Meh.

I speak subjectively when I say that I expected more from Nenjabin, based on his history and my relationship with Ben in fantasy leagues for the past decade. The team looked ugly from the get-go, and the whole franchise seemed to lack direction. They tried hard to move assets to build around Gobert but found nothing enticing, so they cashed in Gobert. It worked. They got better, but were still on the treadmill of mediocrity. Wins were hard to come by, and eventually they snuck in to the Eastern Conference Playoffs in the eighth seed, which was the most uninspiring limp to the playoffs in NSL history. Once the bandaid was properly ripped off the the 76ers inaugural NSL season had ended, Ben was at his best; he orchestrated massive deals that netted him the best players in the deals and also the most value. Now, the upcoming season has the 76ers as ‘must watch’ TV.

Best player: LeBron James

It’s a moot point when your team houses one of the greatest basketball icons of all time; the answer is always going to be King James, who now presides over the kingdom of Philadelphia. What’s to be said about LeBron that hasn’t already been mentioned over the past 18 years? We all know how incredibly dominant he is on a basketball court; his physical traits, basketball skills and god-like court intelligence make him one of the greatest players of all time. The 76ers will boast a really strong lineup full of vets and are primed to go far. It’s almost ‘title or bust’ for LeBron and GM Nenjabin.

Breakout candidate: Joe Harris

Joe Harris isn’t your typical breakout candidate, as he has been around for a while and has game that seems dripping with savvy and wisdom. However, his rise in the NBA hasn’t been matched in 2k, and he bricked his way through 82 games last season across four franchises. However, with his name garnering even more respect in NBA circles, this could be the season that 2k sprinkle some magic dust onto his 2k DNA and sees below-average Joe become a difference maker.

A difference maker: Boban Marjanovic

Ahhh, and that segue wasn’t even planned! Difference maker, aka the most impactful role player aka Th3 GL1tch L0rD. Boban has enjoyed a celebrated NBA/NLL/NSL career as the biggest guy on the court. His massiveness has allowed him to boast a massive game, featuring almost 80% fgs from close around the rim and rebound and blocking at an astounding rate. Boban will feature on a 76ers bench that is starved of offense. Can he maintain his glitch HOF ways, or have 2k21 taken the blowtorch to him?

Fun fact: Boban appeared in John Wick 3.

Draft recap:

It might be easier to write a recap about which players the 76ers didn’t draft, as they had some skin in the game. They got busy in typical Nenjabin fastion, cashing in on the early 2^nd round.

Here is the 76ers draft recap, courtesy of the man himself:

Pick 17: Aleksej Pokusevski
Pick 36: Vit Krejci
Pick 37: Marko Simonovic
Pick 43: Justinian Jessup
Pick 44: Jahmi’us Ramsey

The 76ers are the definition of a boom or bust draft here. They went for Poku at 17, which looks like an upside pick based on his skillset and size, but his frame is ridiculous right now and if that never gets sorted then he will never get sorted. There were much safer options on the board.

The 2^nd round was not much different. How about drafting 3 stash players in a row? Vit has some nice upside in terms of looking like a quicker and more athletic Satoransky (his fellow countryman) but he did an ACL last year and maybe he never comes to the league? Simonovic averaged 16/10 in the same team Jokic played for in Euroleague, and is only 20, a 7’0 big man who moves fluidly, has a high IQ and can shoot, but his frame might also come into question if he ever comes over. Jessup is already interviewing himself for a Duncan Robinson type role and break out as his aim, after playing in Australia this coming season. He seems to have a high IQ, is a lights out shooter and can handle himself on D, but is not certainty. Funnily enough, Ramsey whom wasn’t on their board is possibly the most likely to ever play a game and succeed. A 19 year old streaky shooter with speed and athleticism, and some suggest top 20 upside that shouldn’t have slid. Will he work out?


Salary situation:

Bloody expensive. But Nenjabin has gone all in to build a winner, and championships cost money. As it stands at time of writing, his guaranteed salary combined with his cap holds hits an astronomical almost-200 million dollars. However, it seems like Hassan Whiteside is eyeing a move elsewhere, but Joe Harris looks set to stay. Upon sighing his rumoured deal, Harris’ salary will put the 76ers at about 160M, 28M above the luxury tax line and 20+ million dollars above the hard cap. Better raise those ticket prices!

What do they need to do next?

Find their chemistry. The defense should be there from the very beginning, and they are a big physical team, but the offensive end of the court might take a while to streamline and gather steam. LeBron James will have the ball in his hands almost all the time, so guys like DeRozan, Joe Harris, JJ Redick need to get themselves in their best scoring positions, like slashing or spotting up for threes, respectively. Also, maybe consider a salary dump somewhere so you can loosen the financial noose around the franchise’s neck.

Seasons predictions:

I see the Philadelphia 76ers as a lock for the top four in the East next season and a likely top two team. I’m not sure they have the overall firepower to rival the Bulls, but they have the best player in the game on their team and arguably the equally-most-difficult matchup of any player for the rival defense in King James. I see an Eastern Conference Finals berth, and I wouldn’t be against seeing a new team come out of the East ;)  

GM synopsis:

Nenjabin is an O.G., an original gentleman, and he is a pillar of the NSL community. Ben is kind, respectful and articulate in his role as a GM and diligent and knowledgeable in his role within the admin team. He is low-key very competitive and his move to grab an ageing King James demonstrates this.