Many of you have been unwilling or unable to think about basketball since the 76ers suffered a terrible defeat in the playoffs in late June. I can’t say that I blame you, but we should look back at this season. In general, this season has brought a lot of positive development for the team.

Therefore, before we head into the offseason and where they will go, we will review our views on the major players involved this season, starting with Daryl Morey.

What did morey do right

The 2019-20 76ers are a strange, unfit team that obviously needs to be dismantled and reassembled. Morey absolutely did not waste time doing this. On draft night, he sent the two most immediate players to help Philadelphia regain its dominance in the starting lineup.

In hindsight, turning Josh Richardson into Seth Curry with an additional pick seemed like a genius blow. Curry is almost certainly the second-best player in Philadelphia’s second round loss to Atlanta, defensive issues, etc., as long as he is on the court, he will provide super space. At times last season, the chemistry between Curry and Joel Embiid allowed Embiid and JJ Redick to attack during the period of time they spent together. Curry’s contract has been renewed for another two years, and the 76ers will benefit from the added time benefits together.

Trade Al Horford said: “Great deal, who did they get?” A lot of fandom, and they may be burned in a slightly protected draft year. However, Danny Green easily became a starter for the 76ers this year, made progress in another excellent shooting season, and helped Joel Embiid provide the stability he needs in the low post.

Critics point out that Morey is a cold, shrewd executive who is willing to sacrifice cohesion to attract bigger talent. That version of Morey may appear in the next few years, but establishing the proper chemistry around their star was the driving force for his initial actions, and it paid off almost immediately. Near the profit margin, Morey’s bet on the veteran’s help finally paid off—Dwight Howard became a pumpkin in the playoffs, but he spent an incredible amount of time with a bench big man in his 30s. Looking forward to the season, in this team that seems to like to play with each other, increase energy on the field and on the bench.

Drafting Tyrese Maxey, many people think he is a lottery genius entering the draft, and may not need to get genius intelligence and scouts from Morey. But he was ultimately the one who pulled the trigger from the guard who shined in his rookie season, so much so that he was trusted to have important playoff touches and representatives in Philadelphia’s life-and-death moments. Isaiah Joe looks like a reliable backup shooter, and if they can make him a guard, Paul Reid might become an important stealer late in the second round, in the short bubble tournament of the Development League. Won the MVP of the Development League in China.

In short, Morey’s first year in office was defined by correctly handling the obvious and implementing the idea that has prevailed over the years (“surround Embiid and Simmons with shooters”). Given the Sixers’ position before he came here, Morey just made the team better by following conventional wisdom, which should not be taken for granted.

What morey missed

How you feel about Morey’s first year depends largely on whether you hold him accountable for the 76ers’ failure to execute another star trade, a player that may ease their concerns in the playoffs. This is not because of lack of experimentation-the 76ers have been in conversations with different manufacturers throughout the season, but they ultimately failed to get one.

For various reasons-mainly old grievances and different preferences-not executing a trade for James Harden feels a bit beyond Morey’s control. The Rockets are interested in draft picks, not a trade centered on Ben Simmons, and it is not a lack of attempts that caused the trade to fail. In fact, you can argue that Morey’s willingness to trade Simmons before Simmons’s popularity is a sign of his advantage, which shows that he realizes that things will (and do) change in the coming months. .

On the other hand, the deadline event in Philadelphia is another matter entirely. Considering the unreasonable requirements of the league’s market report and the long-term disadvantages that the 76ers may have to absorb if the 76ers execute this trade, not mentioning Kyle Lowry itself is sufficient. Lowry will get a lot of money this summer, and although his presence on the list may allow Philadelphia to explore a different kind of return in Simmons’ trading plan, if he does, they are not sure whether they can keep him. The heart is somewhere outside of South Philadelphia.

The most critical part of Morey is his failure to upgrade (or at least diversify) the bench. George Hill looked like a shrewd receiver at the time. If they choose the options for next season, he might still perform well, but after returning from injury at the end of the season, he is a man with no plans, inefficient, and Sometimes it’s harmful on the offensive end during their playoffs. Rivers refused to try Dwight Howard’s substitute, which should be blamed a lot. But Morey couldn’t come up with a big lineup to fill the rotation, and let them choose to play alongside Ben Simmons on the bench, which eventually caused the same toxic combination that they had failed all year to be burned in the playoffs.

Looking at the remaining two competitors, you will find that moves on the margin can help without affecting the future of Philadelphia. PJ Tucker went to Milwaukee with a net loss of zero first-round picks. The Suns only got Tory Craig from the same Bucks out of cash considerations, and actually got nothing. For the team that Rivers complained about inadequate size (actually a defensive choice) in the second round, these moves may have an impact, even a small one, because the 76ers lost in seven games. Atlanta.

After all, I think Morey’s sin (in terms of what he committed) is forgivable for a person in his first year of work. Using this year as the evaluation period is something Morey and Rivers both claim they want to do, and being able to push this team to the first seed without sacrificing a lot of future equity is ultimately a huge positive factor.

Where to go from here

The biggest issue facing Morey is also an issue that is being debated in all corners of the NBA Internet—— Will he trade Ben Simmons, with What can he get in return if it is like this? Every major decision that the Sixers must make is currently a secondary decision in Simmons’ dilemma. When one of the core parts of the team may disappear, it is difficult to fill in the gaps and act accordingly.

Given Morey’s willingness to include Simmons in the trading plan Last This season, in addition to the team’s season-long pursuit of guards to perfect the roster, Simmons’s final withdrawal felt somewhat inevitable. But as many people have pointed out (including this writer), this does not necessarily mean that he will transfer in this offseason. After Simmons has some time to regain his value, at least after a more normal basketball game in the 2021-22 season, this may happen mid-season.

Everything will happen with the fall of the Simmons domino, even if Morey decides that he will use the Embiid/Simmons combination before the wheel falls off.Philadelphia no longer has a large number of draft picks, only 28th and 50th in this year’s draft, but they are promising young players. If the 76ers choose to pursue differences, they either have a good advantage bet, or Potential trading chip maker No Deal with a star. Morey has options and MVP-level players. These are the two most important things that any NBA executive can have.

This is another crucial offseason for teams that seem to have more teams than any other team in the league in the past five years. With their best players leaping into the true elite of the league, they are now closer to the title, and now it is up to people like Morey to provide the help that Joel Embiid deserves to chase the title.

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