Five Questions About Five Sixers For 2021-22
Will we ever see another shooting season like this from Embiid?
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that ban was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Well, that sucked. The Sixers have been eliminated at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, ending a season that to this point had been the most promising in a very long time.
For the necessary wallowing in sadness, read AU’s piece. Emotions aside, it’s time to look toward the offseason and the 2021-22 season.
We’ll get around to everybody over the next several weeks, but as our offseason content begins, let’s focus on five players I have questions about -- some are minor, while some may dictate the next several years of Sixers basketball.
Ben Simmons
The question: Will Ben Simmons be a Sixer next season?
Ben Simmons trade scenarios have long been considered taboo, but following the embarrassing elimination, everyone seems on board with the idea of trading Ben -- myself included.
Now, I’m not advising the Sixers to trade Simmons simply for the sake of doing so. Of course, the Sixers need to inherit a return that does not jeopardize their ability to contend for a championship over the next few seasons.
The crux of the debate at this point is not whether or not the Sixers should be exploring trade options -- it’s merely which types of offers are most appealing.
While a package of young players and draft picks is as valuable as it is intriguing, I struggle to accept that as the best case scenario given the timeline the Sixers are in. Whether it’s a two- or three-team deal, the Sixers should be pursuing a trade in which they flip Simmons for someone ready to be a major contributor on a title contender soon, if not immediately.
The bottom line is: at this juncture, there are a lot of players who would make the Sixers better than Ben Simmons does. For all of his wonderful strengths, his few gigantic weaknesses make him a major cause for concern. More guys than we would like to admit would make this team better than Simmons does.
Joel Embiid
The question: Will we ever get as good of a shooting season as the one we just witnessed again?
Embiid played at an MVP level this season, and finished as the runner-up for the award, mostly due to missed games damaging his resume.
Joel dominated on defense as he always has, but took his offensive game from great to borderline flawless as he was surrounded by more shooting than ever before.
In four full NBA seasons, Embiid’s own shooting numbers have fluctuated quite a bit. In 2020-21, they did so in a positive direction. Embiid shot career-bests from behind the three-point line and from the free throw line.
If Embiid continues to shoot as well as he did this past season -- particularly in the high-30s percent from beyond the arc -- he will be right back in MVP contention next season.
Joel is without question a full-blown superstar at this stage of his career. As he improves his recognition of double-teams and his ability to counter them with his passing, his shooting continues to become the swing skill -- the one that, more than anything else, will determine his place in the league’s hierarchy.
Seth Curry
The question: Can the playoffs version of Seth Curry sustain?
Curry made over half of his three-point attempts in the postseason, posting a 50.6 three-point percentage (!) in 12 games. While that level of efficiency is likely impossible to sustain over a full season, what Curry can bring into next season is a refined, much more aggressive approach.
I wrote all year long about Curry’s love-hate relationship with high-volume shooting. Despite clearly being the team’s most accurate shooter, he was not always its most willing or productive player from beyond the arc.
But in the playoffs, Curry was not merely aggressive -- he went above and beyond to assert himself as a lethal offensive weapon, one that nearly saved the Sixers’ season against the Hawks.
Again, Curry will not make more than half of his three-point attempts next year. But he can return with the same invigorated playstyle that made him one of the most valuable role players in the NBA during the playoffs.
George Hill
The question: Will George Hill’s contract be guaranteed?
When the Sixers sent three future second-round picks and Tony Bradley to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Hill, we all expected a bit more than what we eventually saw from the veteran point guard.
Hill was decently efficient from beyond the arc, but shot many too few attempts. His defense was okay, but nothing to write home about.
At the time of the trade, it seemed obvious that Hill’s $10 million salary for the 2021-22 season would be guaranteed by the Sixers, securing a useful rotation player. But after he disappeared for large portions of the season and playoffs, whether or not he is worth that amount of money could be debated.
If I had to guess, I would think Hill’s contract does get picked up for next season. He can certainly give the Sixers better production with a healthy offseason under his bag. But even if he struggles, having a player on a medium-sized salary like his can go a long way in managing to facilitate trades. Not having a medium-sized contract in the books is why the Sixers had to jeopardize their center rotation by dealing Bradley.
Hill should be back next year. Whether that is as a valuable rotation player or as a future trade piece is unknown.
Isaiah Joe
The question: Can Isaiah Joe be the new Furkan Korkmaz next year?
In the second round of the NBA Draft, my philosophy is acquiring prospects with one or two obvious skills, and putting them in position to flash those abilities as much as possible. Isaiah Joe, an excellent shooter, fits the bill.
Over the last two seasons, Furkan Korkmaz has become a useful spark plug off the bench for the Sixers thanks to his solid shooting and ability to put the ball on the floor every now and then.
Joe has less scoring juice than Korkmaz, but with the latter about to become a free agent, the former could potentially step into the role as the team’s new sharpshooter.
It seems minor in the grand scheme of things, but if the Sixers can get, let’s say, 80 percent of Korkmaz’s production from Joe, it can save them some valuable financial flexibility as they deal with the luxury tax and tax apron.