The Philadelphia 76ers certainly have their work cut out for them this offseason. And with two new faces installed to lead the decision-making for the franchise for the foreseeable future in Mike Gansey and Jameer Nelson, the front office now faces the tall task of having to acclimate fast before their summer slate officially begins.
What makes everything a tad more difficult for the 76ers, however, was summed up perfectly by Bob Myers, who is lending the franchise a hand as the president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment which owns and operates the team. The former executive put it simply –– the 76ers have to find an identity because right now, they do not have one.
"We got to find an identity. We just don't have one. That's maybe a harsh thing to say, but look at the numbers. We were not elite offensively or defensively. If you're going to win at the highest level, you got to be great at something. We have the capabilities, the players, the talent. But in order to see what we are, we've got to be on the floor. You have to have a consistent product on the floor. And you find out and maybe that's not good enough. Or maybe it is. But we got to figure out what are we, what can we stand on as a team."
The 76ers have to find an identity if they want to contend moving forward
True enough, it almost feels like this 76ers squad is running on sheer star power. On paper, they have one of the most formidable collection of talents in the league. However, this team is undeniably less than the sum of its parts, as the roster can be disjointed at times with all the imbalance and weaknesses that remain unadressed.
As Myers pointed out, the 76ers were a completely middling group this season. Philadelphia ranked 16th in offensive rating, 17th in defensive rating, and 18th in net rating. They were also in the middle of the pack in terms of pace, as they were 15th among all teams in that department. Aside from protecting the rock, they neither had a standout skill nor a niche as a team.
It is very clear that the numbers drive home the point that the 76ers do not have a real identity to cling onto on both ends. On offense, they are heavily reliant on the brilliance of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey with their other players contributing, albeit through isolation as well. Defensively, they are as inconsistent as any team can get, although they have shown an ability to lock in on that end when they were able to stage a comeback from down 3-1 to the Celtics in the first round.
Having an identity will go a long way towards giving everyone an idea on what kind of players they should be going after. Until they can do that, the 76ers will keep being building the roster in a directionless manner without a real and imminent path toward actual title contention.
