McCain does not have Maxey's speed but plays with same infectious enthusiasm. Good value at 16. Now, if Sixers can only address their other many needs.....
I would have preferred Knect, Collier, or Walter, but McCain is young and can certainly score the ball. I just don't know how he fits with Maxey on defense. I hope he has NBA range on his 3.
I really like the pick of McCain. He doesn't need the ball in his hands, but can play that way if he needs to. He is another guy that shoots a high free throw percentage as do Embiid and Maxey, which is a big plus. His height is a issue, but he's as tall as Melton (6'3") and is stout so he can hold his own physically. He will be a scorer and has a good mid range game and is not just a three point specialist. He might not be a great defender but should be able to improve defensively.
As for the second round pick today, I heard an interesting take, they could take Bronny and hope to either lure Lebron, or trade for something worthwhile from the Lakers, who if Lebron is staying there, they might have to get Bronny, so maybe you get a couple future twos or even a future one for him. Might be more valuable than trying to find a lottery ticket in the second round.
As for the rest of the roster, free agency starts on Sunday, but I would try to get Oubre done before then. There have been varying reports of the Sixers interest in Paul George. There is also a possibility that he signs with the Clippers who would then trade him, in which case I wouldn't want him. I only want him if it only costs money to get him. I don't want to trade future assets to get him and have to pay him a huge salary.
McCain is a little smaller than Melton, 6'3" with shoes, 6'2" without. Melton is about an inch taller than that IIRC. I don't know that the inch makes a big difference, but he has a smaller wingspan, too, although he is strong (and will probably get stronger). People are making comparisons to Brunson, but Brunson generates a lot more offense with the ball; McCain has primarily played off ball, and his inside game comes from attacking closeouts.
I wouldn't get involved in any 'Bronny' shenanigans. Too much can go wrong.
I agree the Bronny stuff is odd, but our window is closing. Embiid is probably on the downside at this point, his being the best player on a team might only have 2-3 years left before his leg injuries end his dominance. Adding LeBron to him to make a run at actually going all the way seems almost necessary.
Maxey is a good player, maybe very good, but he will never be the best player in the league. He might be a marginal all star, certainly impressive, but he isnât going to be much more than what he is. He will not be the best player on a Championship Team, but he might be the 2nd scoring option.
Getting LeBron would absolutely assure us that is 2028 this team will be terrible. But we MIGHT have a window to challenge before than.
Besides, as a Sixers Fan, I would like to see LeBron end his career here. He is rightly one of the best players ever, and even at the end of his career still a very good player (not what he once was). He is also extremely intelligent and capable of figuring out how to best play with Embiid. I believe he and Nurse could solve the âhow to play with Embiidâ problem that has so far been a mystery to the league.
There's really no downside to taking Bronny I'd think. At best it starts the conversation, at worst you trade him to the Lakers or anywhere else. LeBron isn't going anywhere though. Didn't he have a role in Reddick too?
I didn't follow the draft at all (wasn't home) but it's wild that three of the first six picks were out of France, and another from the G League. I can't help but wonder if that's also a big-picture shortcoming of the Sixers over the last 10 years, not to produce at least a strong rotation player if not a star from the European pipeline.
It's going to become more pronounced with the new world order of college athletics upon us. With NIL and easy transfers, most of the top players will be free agents after every season, jumping from school to school every year. In the process, they will not be subject to any consistent coaching philosophy or coaching regimen and their development will suffer. The NBA will discover--or already has discovered--that Euro players are more finished products.
I think that's a stretch...the Euro players drafted last night are high-school or college-freshman age, so they are not being compared to college players affected by the new college NIL/transfer system
Yeah possible changes to NIL are a whole different thing that would mostly affect former one and done guys anyway. Not sure consistent college coaching has ever been a big factor for individual NBA success, especially not for stats. Maybe Villanova current exception. But I don't get the sense the Sixers ever prioritized foreign players after the Spurs and Mavs did and they obviously haven't found a Giannis or Luka or Djokovic. (Though neither Joel nor Simmons were American!)
with the 11th pick of the second round, the philadelphia 76ers select Adem Bona, 6'8" center out of UCLA
I'm surprised the Sixers used both of their picks....seems like we may end up a but underwhelmed with what they do this offseason.
I read that they had an opportunity to trade back and acquire a player, but they had McCain in their top 10 and didnât want to pass on him. Morey says the player they couldâve acquired is still an option down the road.
Kentucky's Justin Edwards has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the 76ers, sources said.
â Shams Charania ( @ShamsCharania ) June 27, 2024