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In his first real move running the Sixers, new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey took Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. out of Alabama with the 22nd pick.
His first free agency move was to reunite with Dean Wade, a player Gansey helped find as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office. He moved quickly on signing former New York Knick Ariel Hukporti, a young big man with some upside. Then, after pulling the trigger on the Jaylen Brown blockbuster, he inked guard Anfernee Simons to a deal.
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Upon successfully recruiting LeBron James to the Sixers, Gansey then signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a former LeBron teammate and two-time NBA champ.
While Gansey has (rightfully) been praised for his splashy offseason moves, don’t overlook what he did to fortify the Sixers’ bench. Now the question becomes — how will head coach Nick Nurse use his bench pieces?
The starting lineup is set with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James and Joel Embiid all locked into their spots. Based on their experience and when they were signed, you’d have to imagine Wade and Simons will be the first guys off the bench. Wade provides defensively versatility, good decision-making and decent spot-up shooting. Simons is arguably the best shooter on the roster and will provide some supplemental ball-handling and shot creation. It’s easy to see how both will play alongside the team’s starters.
With those two seemingly locked into the sixth and seventh spots in the rotation, the rest of the rotation is a bit murkier, with multiple competitions taking place.
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One of the most intriguing competitions will be for the chance to back up Embiid. Adem Bona returns for his third season after the Sixers selected him in the second round in 2024. The team also signed third-year big man Hukporti away from the defending champion New York Knicks. It’s fair to say both players have their flaws and are to this point largely unproven. Can Bona improve his hands, finishing, defensive rebounding and fouling enough for his defensive impact to be felt? Will Hukporti unlock some untapped potential he didn’t get to show as the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sixers-bench-183000785.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-24 18:30:00
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