It is by no means a hot-take to claim that this Sixers roster is not currently built to contend for a title. The mismatched parts have been put on full display as the Sixers are now faced with a 3-0 deficit in the series. Jayson Tatum was held more in check this game but the Celtics, who were labeled as having a thin bench going into the playoffs, outscored the Sixers' bench 20-9 after outscoring them 41-20 in game 2. Alec Burks was the only Sixers bench player to register a point in Game 3.
Given the revolving door of players who have put on a Sixers uniform in the past few years, it is tough not to wonder players that the team let slip away too soon. While many of the moves made were necessary and the motivation was the pursuit of a 3rd star, it is interesting to look where some of the Process era names are now. The Sixers currently have a desperate need for high-quality bench players, and it is heartbreaking to see those minutes being logged by former Sixers on opposing teams.
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Robert Covington
RoCo is one of the top names that come to mind when the true gems of the Process are reflected on. Along with Dario Saric, Covington was traded to the Timberwolves for Jimmy Butler in a deal that was supposed to push the Sixers over the edge. While that clearly didn't work out in the way it was envisioned for the Sixers, Covington has continued to develop and is extremely well regarded around the league.
Due to injuries, Covington only ended suiting up for 70 games for the T-Wolves over the course of a season and a half. He was then traded to the Rockets, where he had originally begun his NBA career. Covington has become an instrumental part of the small-ball play style that the Rockets play with. At 6'7, RoCo plays most of his minutes at Center and tallied an impressive 11.6 points and 8 rebounds per game this season in 33 minutes of action.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
This one hurts a little bit more. After drafting the Frenchman with the 24th pick in the 2016 draft, TLC spent just 2 and a half years with the Sixers. Luwawu-Cabarrot was shipped out (along with Justin Anderson) in a 3-team trade that landed the Sixers... Mike Muscala. The biggest positive of this deal is Muscala sealing the Sixers getting the protected 1st round pick that came with this trade.
TLC eventually made his way to the Nets and appears to have turned a corner in his career. In the bubble, Timothe is averaging 15.7 points while shooting 50% from 3 point range (On a respectable sample size of 29 for 58). He shoots the ball with confidence and has begun to gain trust from the rest of the Nets team. Current Nets Head Coach (and potentially future Sixers HC), Jacque Vaughn, has come to count on TLC to play significant minutes and recently told reporters he can see him "playing with an incredible amount of confidence." In the opening game of the series against the Raptors, TLC ended with a stat line of 26 points and 7 rebounds in 33 minutes.
Landry Shamet
Shamet has a near-perfect play style for today's NBA and has continued to add layers to his game in addition to his career 40% 3-point percentage. He was shipped out in the trade that landed Tobias Harris and Landry has become a key member of the Clippers. Shamet has averaged 9.8 points per game in his time with the Clips and shoots just under 6 3-point attempts per game. He has proven to be very effective as a catch-and-shooter and is a tremendous complementary player.
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Richaun Holmes
Under different circumstances, Richaun Holmes could be a very impactful player on the Sixers. He arrived right in the middle of the logjam of Centers led by Nerlands Noel, Joel Embiid, and Jahlil Okafor. Aside from Embiid, Holmes has turned out to be the best player of that bunch. Largely due to Holmes being just a second-round pick and the Sixers having much more invested in the other 3, Richaun was unfairly shown the door.
After being traded to the Suns for cash considerations, Holmes spent the season in Phoenix and then inked a 2 year $10 million deal with the Kings. Richaun has continued to bring his energy and averaged career highs with 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds this year. Considering Al Horford's numbers on the year are 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds and the team dished out over $100 million to bring him in, it isn't a great feeling to see him be so successful in an opposing uniform.
Jerami Grant
Grant was another 2nd round pick who outplayed his expectations in the league. After playing his college ball at Syracuse, Grant flashed his shooting ability and length on defense in his time with the Sixers. 2 games into his 3rd season with the team, Grant was sent to the OKC Thunder for Ersan Ilyasova and a protected pick.
He has now made his way to the Denver Nuggets and has become a key member of the Nuggets rotation. He bounced in and out of the starting lineup this year but primarily served s the 6th man role for the team. In 40 minutes of action, Grant scored 19 points in the first playoff game against the Jazz. In total this season, Grant averaged 12 points per game and has knocked down 3's at a respectable 39% clip.
JaKarr Sampson
After going undrafted in 2014, JaKarr Sampson managed to cling to a roster spot with the Sixers. He bounced back and forth to the G-League at times but flashed impressive defensive ability and a hard-nosed play-style. He was eventually waived by the team and has lived off a series of 10-day and 2-way contracts between the NBA and G-League.
Most recently, it appears as if Sampson has found a home with the Indiana Pacers. He has managed to crack his way into the Pacers playoff rotation and has provided valuable bench minutes for the team. In the most recent game, Sampson scored 10 points to go along with 3 rebounds in 17 minutes on the floor. While he is by no means a superstar, Sampson seems to have found a niche and figured out what he has to do to stick in the league and make an impact on the team he is on.
Christian Wood
Another guy that was hurt by the logjam down low, Christian Wood never got a true chance with the Sixers. He averaged just 8 minutes per game with the Sixers and bounced back and forth to the G-League. After brief stops with the Hornets and Bucks, Wood turned a page and averaged 16.9 points per game with the Pelicans. He then signed with the Pistons this year and had solid averages of 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. He gained the respect of many around the league and is looked at as one of the more exciting free-agent options for this offseason.
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As the ship begins to sink in this year's season, there are plenty of options for where to place the blame. Brett Brown has more than earned the criticism that goes his way, questions on the growth (or lack thereof) on Simmons and Embiid are more than fair, but the construction of this roster has been criminal. The Sixers are missing the proper supporting cast to surround Ben and Jojo and it is even more frustrating to how many of those guys may have once been on the team. T
he growing reputation of players performing better for other teams than for the Sixers is not a great one to have, and there needs to be a longer leash and clearer direction with young players. Elton Brand and the rest of the front office have some serious problems that will need to be addressed this offseason and there is some serious soul searching that needs to be done.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
