Philadelphia 76ers Roster 2020 76ers Roster

2019-2020 Philadelphia 76ers Roster Questions

How will the 76ers implement Al Horford?

Many in the NBA were surprised when Al Horford opted out of the final year of his contract with the Boston Celtics and decided to enter free agency. While many players do this to ensure a better long term deal with their team, Horford instead bolted and signed a four year, $109 million dollar contract to join the rival 76ers. While he’s by no means a star, Horford has been a very consistent player throughout his career and has played at least 67 games in at least 7 of his 9 seasons. He’ll be a reliable body that will consistently see minutes on the court.

However, this signing doesn’t come without its fair share of criticism and confusion. Throughout his career, Horford has played as the starting center for all his teams and at least one of those will now be in jeopardy. Philly has one of the best centers in the league in Joel Embid and there’s almost zero chance we don’t see him as the opening 5 on opening night. That leaves Horford in a predicament as he’ll either have to start at the 4 for the 76ers or come off the bench as Embiid’s backup. Whatever the case may be, Horford is a great player that will provide valuable production for Philly, the only question is where and when he’ll do it.

What does the loss of Jimmy Butler mean?

Even after coming over from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler still never felt fully content with his situation. This summer, he landed a spot on the Miami Heat where he’ll surely be looking to build a roster around him and from the ground up. Butler’s always wanted to be the man on the team and being in Philly just didn’t suit him. Though he’s a great player, the 76ers always had Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in crunch time and eventually Tobias Harris.

While Butler was a great player who averaged 18.2 points, 4 assists, and 5.3 rebounds with Philly, he’s a player that wanted to be the top option on his team. The move to Miami was heavily criticized in Butler’s perspective but for the 76ers, it leaves them at a position formerly filled by one of the top two way players in the league. His spot in the starting lineup will be filled by Josh Richardson who came over in the sign-and-trade from the Heat. He’s a terrific scorer that broke out last year and looks to be building up to his prime. If he can replicate Butler’s production last year, it’ll almost seem like he’s the same player.

Will the Ben Simmons contract pay off?

Ben Simmons signed a five year $170 million dollar maximum extension that will lock him up for Philadelphia’s years of contention. With him and Tobias Harris locked in this offseason, the 76ers look ready for another playoff push this season. However, there are still many holes in his game that need to be fixed. He’s a great all around player who’s got great passing ability for an oversized point guard. The 7.7 assists last year was among the best and made him a matchup problem for undersized guards.

He’ll likely continue being a great passing and rebounding guard though the shooting has always been a problem. Even with a 16.9 pint average last year, the shooting percentages were atrocious. His free throws sat at 60% which ranks among the worst among guards. That’ll certainly need to improve for a driving guard who can get 4-5 attempts each game. Even more concerning is his lack of jump shooting and the absence of three point shooting. If Simmons wants to be a superstar like his contract shows, he’ll need to develop shooting sooner rather than later.