Give And Go — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
For the last few off seasons the Philadelphia 76ers have the National Basketball Association (NBA)-dom salivating for the immense potential they have after securing potential franchise-changing players in the annual rookie draft.
Let’s see. In 2013, the Sixers got Nerlens Noel (6th) and Michael Carter-Williams (11th) in the draft; in 2014, it was Joel Embiid (3rd) and traded for Dario Saric (12th); in 2015 it was Jahlil Okafor (3rd); last year it was Ben Simmons (1st); and this year Markelle Fultz (1st).
But while said players packed with them much potential, they, however, have not translated to the much-hoped-for success for “The City of Brotherly Love.”
In the last four years, Philly has averaged only 19 wins, including a bottom-scraping 10-win campaign in the 2015-2016 season.
Culprit undeniably is the inability of the Sixers to have the needed gestation for these players to really collectively get their act together, no thanks in large part to injuries that have hit these players, especially in the last couple of years.
Embiid sat out his first two years in the NBA after injuring his knee even before he played his first official league game. He returned midway into last season and showed glimpses of what he is capable of before being shut down for aggravating his injury.
Okafor has had his share of injuries as well while Simmons was sidelined also in what should be his first year in the NBA after breaking his foot in the final training camp scrimmage (!).
Noel also sat out his first year (knee) before having some solid moments in a Sixer uniform upon his return. He was traded last year to the Dallas Mavericks.
Carter-Williams was rookie of the year while with Philly but he did not last long there, being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks after a season and a half.
This season all hopes were high anew after the Sixers drafted first overall Washington player Fultz, who many consider as a good fit to Philly for his solid two-way game.
No sooner after did expectations were tempered after the top overall pick in the 2017 sprained his left ankle in a Summer League game against the Golden State Warriors early this week.
Not a few raised concerns of the injury bug once again attacking the Sixers after, even going far as comparing it to a curse.
But the Sixers management, and Fultz himself, said the injury is nothing serious and he is expected to miss just a couple of weeks, and the rest of the Summer League, and not go the way of Noel, Embiid and Simmons in their first year in the league.
The bit of news coming from the Sixers is certainly a good one if you happened to be a follower of the team, and hopefully the initial prognosis holds.
With the addition of Fultz, this space believes that Philly is all set to take off finally after initial attempts have failed.
Guard Fultz’s good court sense coupled with the all-around play of a healthy Simmons and Embiid and Okafor’s presence down low — provided they stay in top shape, too — are a good foundation for the Sixers to build around.
Philadelphia also added depth to their roster with the acquisitions of veterans JJ Redick and Amir Johnson to join its core along with the likes of Robert Covington, Hollis Thompson, TJ McConnell, Saric and Nik Staukas.
Whether they get to reach the playoffs after long while this season remains to be seen but with the lineup that it has and how teams like the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks are on rebuilding mode, I would not be surprised if a healthy and fully functioning Sixers team gets to squeeze itself in the postseason.
At this point, we just have to wait and see how things pan out for Fultz and the rest of the Sixers in the lead-up to the 2016-2017 NBA season. They say in Philly “Trust the Process,” a good catchphrase actually, but maybe it is time for phrases like “Headways Gained,” “Growth Happening,” “No More Trust the Doctors” and “Promised Fulfilled” to be thrown around the team.
Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.
