The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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High hopes for draft picks as Sixers rebuild

Photo+courtesy+Wikimedia+Commons
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

After claiming the third- worst record in the NBA last season the Philadelphia 76ers will rely on former dominant Duke center and third overall pick in the 2015 draft, Jahlil Okafor, along with other accusations made in the offseason to improve this year.

With last year in the rearview mirror, and their season opener on Oct. 28 against the Boston Celtics swiftly approaching, it’s time to shift our focus toward the upcoming season.
Of the 25 players who logged minutes for the team last season the only notable departures were point guard Ish Smith and forward Luc Mbah a Moute.
Free agency was mostly quiet; they were able to sign both Scottie Wilbekin and Kendall Marshall to multi-year deals. Both players are expected to compete for the starting point guard position this season.
Those moves were followed with a minor splash in the trade market when Sixers General Manager Sam Hinkie acquired shooting guard Nik Stauskas and forward Carl Landry from the Sacramento Kings.
Nik Stauskas was the eighth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft and was a highly regarded three-point shooter coming out of college.
Nathan Weaver, 19, marketing major from Quakertown says, “I really think the Stauskas trade was a huge step for the team. Hopefully he is able to open up the offense for [his teammates].
The trade for Stauskas was a move made by Hinkie in order to improve the Sixers’ shooting troubles. They ranked second-to-last in the league last season in three-point shooting percentage at just 32 percent.
However, the Sixers added their most anticipated offseason acquisition through the NBA draft when they used the third overall pick on former Duke University center Jahlil Okafor.
Okafor is expected to step into the starting lineup immediately and join forces with fellow franchise building block Nerlens Noel.
There is some angst within the fan base on whether or not the two big men will be able to play together. “I like both players a lot, but I do have my doubts about how they will play together when they are on the court at the same time,” admits Cody Sterner, 19, a business administration major from Quakertown.
With the Sixers roster flipped over throughout the offseason the team now has something that it has been lacking for the better part of the last two years: talent.
The additions of Okafor, Stauskas, and Marshall accompanied by the development of current Sixers Nerlens Noel, Jerami Grant, and Robert Covington, has left head coach Brett Brown with arguably the most talent he has had in his three seasons.
The Sixers are still a few years away from realistically competing for a championship, but competing for a playoff spot may not be so unrealistic.
“They’ve been building this team for three years now and they have some good talent. I would say it’s definitely a reasonable expectation,” says Brett Wolf, 20, sports management major from Quakertown.
One of the biggest things fans will be looking for this season in improvement.
Coming off of consecutive 63 and 64-loss seasons that won’t be hard to come by. This is the first season where the Sixers are expected to take a step forward and the future is supposed to come into focus.
With some core players in place to lead the franchise into the 2015-2016 season it’s fair to say that excitement for the season is building.
Anthony Direnzo, 19, a business administration major from Sellersville says, “I can’t wait for the season to start, this year’s team is going to be so much more exciting and competitive.”
Heading into their season opener in a few days the Philadelphia 76ers will be longshots to win the 2016 NBA championship, and that’s okay.
Progress is the end game for the Sixers, and heading into this year’s season that’s exactly what the fans should be eagerly awaiting.