Philadelphia 76ers Offseason Moves 2019: Odds and Predictions

Season Record: 51-31 , 3rd in the Eastern Conference

Head Coach: Brett Brown

Most Frequent Starting Five (22 Games): (G) Ben Simmons – (G) JJ Redick – (F) Jimmy Butler – (F) Wilson Chandler – (C) Joel Embiid

2018-2019 Top Performers:

• (C) Joel Embiid – 33.7 MPG | 27.5 PPG | 13.6 RPG | 1.9 BPG
• (F) Tobias Harris – 35.0 MPG | 18.2 PPG | 7.9 RPG | .326 3P%
• (F) Jimmy Butler – 33.2 MPG | 18.2 PPG | 5.3 RPG | 4.0 APG

2018-2019 Major Transactions

12 November 2018 – Traded (G) Jerryd Bayless, (F) Robert Covington, (F) Dario Šarić and a 2022 second-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for (F) Jimmy Butler and (C) Justin Patton.

6 February 2019 – Traded (F) Wilson Chandler, (F) Mike Muscala, (G) Landry Shamet, a 2020 first-round draft pick, a 2021 first-round draft pick, a 2021 second-round draft pick and a 2023 second-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for (F) Tobias Harris, (C) Boban Marjanović and (F) Mike Scott.

7 February 2019 – Traded (G) Markelle Fultz to the Orlando Magic for (G-F) Jonathon Simmons, a 2019 second-round draft pick and a 2020 first-round draft pick.

7 February 2019 – Traded a 2021 second-round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for (F) James Ennis.

The Good

Embiid? Em-Beast!

EMBIID REALLY HIT THE WINDMILL ?

(via @sixers) pic.twitter.com/WCj3nc87eU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 3, 2019

Cameroonian Joel Embiid may be known for his antics on and off the court, but he is raw power when he is in the game.

Healthy and ready to contribute, Embiid became the third player in NBA history to score 3800 points, collect 1800 rebounds, and block 300 shots in less than 160 matches.

The other members of that group? David Robinson and Shaquille O’Neal. Should he stay healthy, we are looking at one of the best of all-time.

Ageless JJ Redick

JJ REDICK DAGGER.

SIXERS BEAT WARRIORS AT ORACLE. pic.twitter.com/pJ1hsbPUxC

— Drew Corrigan (@Dcorrigan50) February 1, 2019

Were one to suggest that Redick is twice the player in his past six seasons, than he was in his first six you’d be hard-pressed to disagree with him.

A career 41.3% shooter from deep, Redick took the reigns as leader at 34 years old and averaged a career high 18.1 points per game.

Sure he had the benefit of playing off of Embiid and Simmons, but he was ultimately responsible for knocking down the shots. He did so, more often than not.

The Bad

“Is this the dagger?”

? KAWHI WITH THE INSANE BUZZER BEATER!!! ?@Raptors advance!#WeTheNorth #kawhi #leonard #raptors #sixers #HereTheyCome #basketball #NBA #NBATwitter #NBAPlayoffs #podcast #tissot #nike pic.twitter.com/eGu6m1MgkJ

— Hoops Podcast (@hoopspodcastaus) May 13, 2019

With 4.2 seconds remaining between the Raptors and Sixers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference second round, Toronto had the ball ready to inbound.

Four seconds that took a lifetime, the ball went up, hit every part of the rim, and went in to sink the Sixers’ season.

A team with four All-Star level players lost to a “lowly” Canadian team, with a recovering star as their leader.

Simmons’ Jumper

Here’s a possession where LeBron guarded Ben Simmons … FROM THE KEY. pic.twitter.com/MCRpsPqSTn

— ESPN (@espn) February 10, 2019

Ben Simmons is an athletic marvel at point guard that the NBA hasn’t seen since Magic Johnson. Unfortunately, he is missing a key skill from his game.

Simmons is the NBA’s worst shooter, which is not an understatement. While some players who have poor shooting numbers will look at the rim, Simmons won’t do so without clear intent to bulldoze his way to it.

The Surprises

Brett Brown’s Shaky Coaching

Brown has a difficult job. He has young, volatile stars with key holes in their game. Yet he is asked to come up with capable offensive and defensive set to ensure their success.

Despite that, he was out-coached by a rookie head coach in the Eastern Conference second round and failed to recover all series long.

Thought to be a steady force for the Sixers, his inability to adapt in the playoffs cost his team their chance.

From Brusier to Savant

Elton Brand may be famous for his on-court prowess, a bruising yet soft-handed forward. But once he took over for Bryan Colangelo in the front office, the Sixers found their identity.

Brand went all-in on winning now. He was ruthless when trading fan-favourites Dario Saric and Robert Covington, all in hopes of winning with the talents of Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.

While they didn’t win it all, where Colangelo was treading water, Brand made it clear that the Sixers are moving toward the top.

The Philadelphia 76ers had an absolute stockpile of draft picks available to them in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Rather than going all-in on youth, Philly wholesaled their future for a shot at success now.

They did bring in two promising young guard prospects though, to ensure their draft wasn’t a complete failure.

(G) Matisse Thybulle – Washington – USA – Boston Celtics, 1st Round (20th Pick, 20th Overall)

For your viewing pleasure: Matisse Thybulle’s highlights from yesterday pic.twitter.com/hemdyhb6hF

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) October 9, 2019

Thybulle will earn his keep on the defensive end of the court. A gritty ball-stopper, Thybulle has already made a name for himself amongst the Sixers as a dogged defender.

While a 3-and-D player is what the Sixers need off the bench, Thybulle surprisingly regressed greatly in terms of shooting in his senior season.

(G) Marial Shayok – Iowa State – Canada – Philadelphia 76ers, 2nd Round (24th Pick, 54th Overall)

Keeping Up With The Canadians ??

Marial Shayok | vs. Guangzhou Long-Lions

10 POINTS
2 THREE POINTERS pic.twitter.com/sspBDsNitt

— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) October 9, 2019

While Shayok didn’t protect to be in a lot of draft boards’ top sixty, he forced his way into teams’ minds and has found himself on the 76ers.

The Canadian is a lights-out shooter, with the ability to get hot at any time. He doesn’t look to be a capable defender, but with his offensive ability passable is enough.

Expectations

Shayok and Thybulle bring opposite skillsets to each other for the Sixers.

While both will be buried by the 76ers team depth, expect each to play a large role with the Delaware Blue Coats – the Sixers’ G-League affiliate.

2019 NBA Offseason Acquisitions

(G-F) Josh Richardson – 4 Years/$41.9 Million

Another good game from Josh Richardson yesterday (18 PTS, 7/4 FG and 3/9 3PT, 4 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK).

He showed a bit more of everything Philly can expect, from good DHOs with Horford to POA defense and some shot blocking pic.twitter.com/c4wcCSXTri

— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) October 12, 2019

Josh Richardson brings a little bit of everything to the Philadelphia 76ers.

He is a reliable playmaker, rugged defender, and capable shooter from all areas of the court.

He steadily improved every year with the Heat and now looks to be a star in his role with the Sixers. His numbers may go down, but his value will surely sky-rocket.

(F-C) Al Horford – 4 Years/$109 Million

Too easy for Big Al ?. #NBAPlayoffs | #CUsRise pic.twitter.com/iuEfs768cQ

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 1, 2018

The acquisition of Al Horford was a massive steal for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Not only did they pry him from one of their top competitors, they removed one of Joel Embiid’s toughest defenders from the opposition.

Still only 32, Horford will be able to showcase his efficient play style in a more limited role than years past.

(C) Kyle O’Quinn – 1 Year/$2.0 Million

#Sixers Kyle O’Quinn slips a sneaky pass to Raul Neto for the assist and bucket.#NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/Pc5ehsk5Ty

— Eric Reese (@EricReesePSN) October 13, 2019

O’Quinn is a bruising big man that can help spell both Horford and Embiid when they head to the bench.

While O’Quinn doesn’t have the profile of modern pace-and-space big men, he is a tenacious rebounder and an apt shooter from out to the free-throw line.

(G) Raul Neto – 1 Year/$1.7 Million

According to @ShamsCharania, the SIxers are signing guard Raul Neto to a one-year, guaranteed veteran’s minimum deal.

Presented by @FultonBank. pic.twitter.com/KAQ21K53lO

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 4, 2019

Neto is a steady if not spectacular guard who spent the last four season in Utah.

He has excellent quickness and aggressiveness on both ends of the court, but fails to be productive without the ball.

He will need to prove a capable spot-up shooter, to find a spot with the Sixers lineup.

(C) Christ Koumadje – Exhibit 10

We’ve officially signed Christ Koumadje to a contract! ✍️https://t.co/s1bYt7x0ET | #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/OQJSzMBor5

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 19, 2019

Christ Koumadje is a shocking 7’4 senior out of Florida State. While he didn’t fill up the stat sheet, he showed an on-court awareness that the Sixers thought worth developing for the future.

(G) Trey Burke – Non/Partial Guaranteed

“We gotta push each other and compete at the highest level to make each other better.” @treyburke talks competing with @raulneto. pic.twitter.com/fG23di6TL7

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 9, 2019

Trey Burke is a flashy, scoring guard in the style of Allen Iverson. Not half the player that Iverson was, Burke comes in with opportunity to show he’s a backup worthy of supporting Ben Simmons.

Not his strong suit, Burke will have to show efficiency as a lead guard to make an impact.

(F) Isaiah Miles – Exhibit 10

Forever Thankful for the Blessings Bestowed upon me ! Never took it for Granted! ?? #KeepGoing pic.twitter.com/vsctDk8mHg

— Isaiah Miles (@freakyzeke_32) October 11, 2019

Joining the Sixers from Limoges of LNB Pro A, Miles proved himself to be an adept shooter in Europe.

Brought in to be a floor-spacer, Miles shot an impressive 39.2% from deep in LNB Pro A and an astonishing 51.9% from three in the EuroCup.

(C) Norvel Pelle – Two-Way Contract

Over his last 10 games, Vaughn is averaging 3.6 assists per game with Delaware. Some of his work as a facilitator is seen in the play below as he works to the paint before making a jump pass to Norvel Pelle. pic.twitter.com/WvLCaGQG59

— Ridiculous Upside (@RidicUpside) February 20, 2019

Norvel Pelle has had a unique journey to this point in his career, considering he never truly debuted with an NCAA program, despite being 2011’s top centre prospect in the nation.

Pelle is building his way back into relevance and will do so as a high-efficiency shot-blocker and rebounder.

2019-2020 Season Expectations

The Philadelphia 76ers were Championship contenders last season, only limited by a series winning buzzer beater by Kawhi Leonard.

They have gotten stronger this year and odds are on them to at least finish in the top three of the Eastern Conference.

Their biggest weakness lies with their reserve unit. Significantly weaker in terms of depth, the Sixers will have to balance their minutes in order to be successful.

Regular Season Win Totals for the Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers have been given the second-best odds to win the East according to the sports book.

Coming off of a 51 win season, the Sixers open in favour of winning more than 53.5 games during the 2019-2020 season.

Philadelphia Odds to Win the 2019-2020 Eastern Conference

Trailing only the Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers are the second-favourite team to win the Eastern Conference.

Boasting an incredible starting five, they look to build upon what was a disappointing 2018-2019 campaign.

Philadelphia 76ers Odds to Win the 2019-2020 NBA Championship

Future odds are very kind to the Sixers this coming season. They sit in the top four of the NBA in odds to win the 2019-2020 NBA Championship.

The trail behind both Los Angeles franchises, as well as conference rival the Milwaukee Bucks.