• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Cold Wire

Breaking News, Sports, Entertainment, TV, Tech ...

  • Home
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA
    • MLB
  • World News
  • Entertainment
  • Cold Hard Facts
  • About
You are here: Home / Sports / NBA / 3 Changes The 76ers Need To Make In The Offseason

3 Changes The 76ers Need To Make In The Offseason

By Robert Marvi May 16, 2022

s Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers during play against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals at Wells Fargo Center on May 12, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

 

For yet another season, the Philadelphia 76ers fell way short of expectations.

After coming back to tie the Eastern Conference semifinals versus the Miami Heat, they looked disconnected and desultory, dropping the next two contests to end their season.

When a team has such a gap between what it was supposed to accomplish and what it actually earned, it’s clear that it’s lacking something and that changes need to be made.

The 76ers will have some tough decisions to make this summer, but if they’re serious about winning their first NBA championship since 1983 and satisfying one of the roughest fan bases in sports, they need to make a few moves in particular.

 

3. Get Rid Of James Harden

Whether they trade him, he opts out of the final year of his contract, or he gets banned from ever setting foot in Pennsylvania ever again, the 76ers must divorce themselves from Harden.

The former 2018 league MVP had fans abuzz when the team jettisoned Ben Simmons and two other players to get him a few months ago, and some even had to nerve to compare the new duo of Harden and Joel Embiid to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

.@KendrickPerkins saying Joel Embiid & James Harden could be the next Kobe & Shaq pic.twitter.com/SgB2cw22W8

— Gustavo (@iamvega1982) May 13, 2022

They fell short – way short – of those expectations, and Harden doesn’t exactly have the track record of raising his game in high leverage situations that Bryant is famous for.

In Game 6 versus Miami, the biggest game of his season, Harden took a grand total of nine shots in 43 minutes and mustered just 11 points, continuing a trend that has haunted him for years.

James Harden, in a close out game you can't have a performance like that; only take two shots and score no points in the second half?

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 13, 2022

Furthermore, his shooting percentages this season were considerably lower than his career averages, and there is no clear indication that this problem will resolve itself next season.

Even if it does, Harden simply doesn’t seem like championship material.

The best-case scenario is that Harden opts in to the final year of his contract, and the Sixers end up getting some viable value for him in a trade.

However, some Philly fans have the sneaking suspicion that general manager Daryl Morey, who was the GM of the Houston Rockets when Harden was there, will give Harden a hefty contract extension no matter what.

 

2. Find A Point Guard

With Simmons gone, Philly doesn’t have a true point guard or floor general.

Tyrese Maxey, a second-year guard who has become a rising star for the Sixers, has emerged as a scoring threat and a secondary playmaker, but he is not a natural point guard or table-setter.

Getting a true point man would go a long way in stabilizing the team when it comes out flat or when the opposing team goes on a run, as well as in getting the ball into the right places and improving an offense that was just 18th in points scored this season.

 

1. More Fight And Heart

Philadelphians think of themselves as fighters who are tough as nails and never shy away from a conflict while showing tons of heart and chutzpah.

These are admirable qualities that the Sixers haven’t possessed in a long time.

The Heat, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs days ago, have plenty of those qualities, and so does any team that either wins the world championship or seriously challenges for it.

Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and to a certain extent, Embiid, are blessed with those qualities, but Philly needs more players of that ilk to get to the next level.

Recent News

Malcolm Brogdon #7 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on December 15, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Did The Pacers Get The Raw End Of The Malcolm Brogdon Trade?
Sportswriter Brian Windhorst attends a practice session at the 2018 USA Basketball Men's National Team minicamp at the Mendenhall Center at UNLV on July 27, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
NBA Analyst Shocked With Potential Lakers/Nets Trade Deal
Head coach Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics looks on in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 10, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Celtics May Have Found Their Missing Pieces

Filed Under: NBA, Philadelphia 76ers Rumors And News Tagged With: Philadelphia 76ers

About Robert Marvi

Robert is a Los Angeles-area native and has been an avid NFL and NBA fan since he was a little kid. He feels strongly that pro sports aren't just a form of entertainment, but also a great way to learn life lessons and find inspiration.

Suggest a correction

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search The Cold Wire

Footer

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

Editorial Guidelines

Contact Us

Sitemap

Advertise

Follow us on

Copyright © 2022 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ·TheColdWire.com

Suggest a Correction

3 Changes The 76ers Need To Make In The Offseason

1000 characters remaining