“The Process” works, but it is not complete.
The 76ers’ two-headed monster of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons helped lead the team to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they fell in five games to the Celtics.
Here are five questions Philadelphia faces, if they are to take this momentum beyond a feel-good story.
What do we make of Markelle Fultz?
The No. 1-overall pick was injured and didn’t tell the 76ers about it. Then, he broke his shot (like really broke it) and eventually returned and became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, even with a shaky jump shot. He then played a total of 23 minutes in the 76ers’ 10 playoff games, and that all came in the first three games with the Heat.
There will be some who think Fultz, an uber-athletic guard, can reach the heights that the 76ers and the rest of the NBA envisioned, but thinking it can happen just a season later is not likely. He appeared in just 14 regular-season games, where he averaged 7.1 points per game and 3.8 assists in a handful of minutes. Is that enough to persuade the 76ers to not re-sign J.J. Redick or Marco Belinelli?
Without those two, Fultz would have a larger role and perhaps more wiggle room to find himself once again, but with the 76ers knocking on the door of the NBA’s great teams, it’s probably too much of a gamble to think of Fultz as a consistent contributor to an NBA contender.
Do the 76ers bring back J.J. Redick — and for how much?
Redick was the perfect veteran plug-in for the 76ers, though a pricey one at one-year, $23 million.
And with that hefty deal, Redick turned in a career year in his 12th NBA season.
The 33-year-old posted career highs in points (17.1 per game) and rebounds (2.5 per game) and was second in scoring behind Embiid in the playoffs. Beyond the statistical contributions this season, Redick — a proven and winning veteran — was a valuable veteran leader.
“I identified Philly as the place I really wanted to be because I thought they had the potential to be really good because of Joel and Ben and because of how they played and passed the ball,” Redick said recently. “Whether I started or came off the bench, it’s why I wanted to come here.”
Redick’s shooting ability was a perfect fit for the team, but will this season lead to a more significant — or at least lengthier — contract? And, if it does, would that mean the 76ers wouldn’t look elsewhere for a big name to pair with their young stars?
Redick said he wants his situation in Philadelphia to be “long term.”
“I love playing here,” . “I love playing with these guys. I love playing for Brett [Brown]. This has been a fantastic experience.”
Will Ben Simmons ever have a jump shot?
Ben Simmons might need a new jump shot, at least according to one former star.
Lakers legend Kobe Bryant recently told the “Chris and Caron Show” on Fox Sports Radio that the 76ers rookie star should go back to the drawing board and redesign his jumper.
“Just aesthetically I would say build that thing anew,” with a laugh.
During the regular season, Simmons shot 64.3 percent from within 10 feet of the basket. Pull-ups (33 percent) and catch-and-shoots (16.7 percent) were a debacle, though.
Against the Celtics, Simmons was exposed when Brad Stevens had his players clog the passing lanes, which often forced Simmons to abandon drives, throwing him off his game.
If he figures out his jump shot, and there’s plenty of time, NBA beware.
Joel Embiid is truly a monster — and one of the best players in the NBA
“We have a bright future. … We’re going to be fine.”
Those were Embiid’s parting words after the 76ers fell to the Celtics. If the 76ers take the training wheels off Embiid, the 76ers will probably be more than fine.
Embiid saw career highs in scoring (22.9 per game), rebounding (11.0 per game) and assists (3.2 per game) in his second season, all significant increases as his workload increased from 25.4 minutes per game in his 2016-17 season to 30.3 per game this season. That said, the 24-year-old continues to express frustration with how the 76ers handle him. The team’s self-imposed minutes restriction was always going to be a talking point. It was exposed multiple times when coach Brett Brown relied on Embiid more heavily, specifically in December when the 76ers started to look more and more like a legitimate playoff team.
Even still, keeping the big man happy is going to be a process. He missed 10 games, including the first two playoff games against the Heat, after he suffered a broken orbital bone against the Knicks on March 28. Embiid’s absence didn’t cost the 76ers — though they did lose Game 2 of that series — but it did upset him enough to break out and say he was “f–king sick and tired of being babied.”
Embiid, a first-time All-Star, cemented himself as a top-10 player in the league. On a team full of fresh-faced players — Embiid being one of them — he elevated his game to different heights in the playoffs, especially in the Celtics series. He finished Wednesday night’s 114-112 loss with 27 points and 12 rebounds, his seventh straight double-double of the playoffs.
Is Brett Brown the right guy for Philadelphia?
Usually coaches who are a part of a rebuild aren’t there for the final product, which makes Brown an interesting case.
The Gregg Popovich protege had an interesting playoffs debut, one that started with triumph against Erik Spoelstra’s Heat team and ended with being on the wrong side of a clinic against Brad Stevens and the Celtics. There were questionable decisions, specifically in the Game 2 loss, that will carry with Brown to next season, but even still, he impressed enough.
“We’ve had our eye on Philly a long time,” Stevens said. “Brett and his system have put us in a bind in both ends of the floor. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how we can play a little bit better. You think about how much we turned it over in the regular season against them, how many issues we’ve had guarding some of their actions.
“He’s a heck of a coach, they have a heck of a situation, and they have a lot of young talent. They’re going to be good for a long time. I don’t take these opportunities for granted, and know they’re not given, so I hope we’re all back here a year from now talking about it.”
Brown seems to have created an ambiance within the 76ers youthful locker room, managing the egos of two first-overall picks and Embiid. He’s also not afraid to go against the grain, turning to TJ McConnell toward the end of the Celtics series. And with another potential lottery pick (they get the Lakers’ selection if it doesn’t fall between 2-5), who knows what else Brown can pull off.