With their strongest lineup on the floor, the Philadelphia 76ers are a formidable foe for any opponent in the league, but when the secondary unit comes in, the landscape shifts quickly. From the bench, production was limited last year for the Sixers -- especially when Quentin Grimes' form plummeted. With Luke Kennard's contract set to expire with the Los Angeles Lakers, Mike Gansey must move to land the player who can provide a scoring punch.
Philadelphia severely struggled from the bench last season
Any team's performance levels would drop when stars such as Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George left the floor, but the 76ers took these woes to a completely different level. Philadelphia ranked 22nd in the NBA bench scoring rankings -- averaging just 32.4 points per game.
Much of this decline came down to the simple fact that Daryl Morey failed to bulk up the roster with suitable roster depth and utilized much of the team's financial flexibility to appease the franchise's superstars. However, retaining Quentin Grimes' services seemed to be a step in the right direction until his numbers swiftly dried up.
Grimes started the 2025-26 season in scintillating form and placed himself at the forefront of Sixth Man of the Year conversations. Through the first two months of the season, the 26-year-old averaged 17.2 points from a bench role. However, this took a dramatic nosedive heading into the playoffs, and Grimes became nonexistent during the 76ers' Second Round series sweep by the New York Knicks -- averaging just six points per game.
Given Grimes' expectation for a bigger payday, the Philadelphia 76ers would be more suited to handing a contract to a player who has made a more consistent impact for his team -- especially in the postseason.
Luke Kennard to the 76ers makes perfect sense
Kennard is one of the most underrated prospects heading into the NBA's free agency period. His stint with the Los Angeles Lakers would have undoubtedly raised his stock with interested parties -- meaning Philadelphia must steal a march on Kennard's suitors.
Throughout his career, Kennard has been content with always being the bridesmaid and never the bride. His unegotistical mindset has made him a coach's dream, but may have limited his chances of becoming anything more than an impact bench scorer. Whether this has hindered Kennard's personal development is a different discussion, as in his current form, he is the exact profile of player that the 76ers require.
The 29-year-old landed on the West Coast after a short stint with the Atlanta Hawks. Kennard started just six of his 32 regular-season appearances with the Lakers, recording nine points and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from deep.
Due to an unfortunate injury to Luka Doncic, Kennard was presented with an unlikely opportunity to lead the Lakers' backcourt into the postseason, and under these conditions, he thrived. During LA's 4-2 series triumph over the Houston Rockets, Kennard averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and three assists per game, scoring a sensational 27 points in Game 1, while sinking all five of his shots from 3-point range.
There are several areas of the Philadelphia 76ers' roster that Mike Gansey must address upon his arrival at the franchise. Finding an understudy for Joel Embiid will be important, but acquiring a secondary scoring option is needed to address the Sixers' bench woes.
