By:Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly Staff
With the Sixers in position to potentially receive two lottery picks in this June's draft, questions remain about the direction that the team will go with their selections.
The top of the draft is loaded with ball handlers, including Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, and Dennis Smith Jr, among others. The Sixers currently have T.J. McConnell and Jerryd Bayless under contract for the 2017-2018 season, who both profile as backup point guards on a playoff team.
The Sixers will be faced with an important decision; commit to Ben Simmons as your ball handler and add prospects in other areas of need, or draft a new point guard and have Simmons compete with Dario Saric for time at power forward.
Recent comments from Brett Brown suggest that the team is prepared to commit to Simmons.
"I feel that the team has to try that immediately, In my eyes, we are going to try that," said Brown. "I feel that it's something that I doubt you say, 'That didn't work,' and you just move on quickly. There has to be a body of work that you judge him on."
In order for Brett Brown to see Simmons play point guard and evaluate him, he will have to wait until next season, as Ben Simmons was shut down for the season following an MRI that revealed that his foot injury had not healed as expected.
Brown's determination to see Simmons as the Sixers' point guard is supported by reports that circulated around the league's trade deadline:
Sources: Philadelphia searching for defensive-minded guards to play with Ben Simmons. One target: Boston's Avery Bradley. No traction.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 23, 2017
This report from Adrian Wojnarowski of the The Vertical shows that the Sixers were seeking a backcourt companion for Ben Simmons. A trade for a player of Avery Bradley's caliber would give the Sixers an ideal complement to Simmons, providing him with a player who shoots the ball well, and can defend both point guards and shooting guards. This versatility would allow the Sixers to run multiple concepts on defense, such as Simmons rotating to power forward and Bradley guarding the ball handler, or keeping Simmons at point guard on defense and having Bradley guard the shooting guard.
Brett Brown's comments and the reports of Bryan Colangelo and the front office exploring the trade market for players that specifically fit with Simmons are a sign that the team is prepared to go all-in on the former first overall pick as the teams point guard for years to come.