The Philadelphia 76ers had their season come to a close on May 12 after losing Game 6 on the road to the Miami Heat.
Acquiring James Harden for Ben Simmons was meant to propel the team into a true championship contender, but untimely injuries to Joel Embiid and Danny Green didn’t help matters and the season came to an end in the second round yet again.
James Harden looks to be a completely different player than he did in Houston, and it looks like the Sixers will have to adapt to the new version of him.
Due to the drama surrounding the team all season, Furkan Korkmaz believes the team should just put it all behind them and start fresh.
Moving On
Speaking to reporters, the key reserve says the Sixers should put the past season in their rear view mirror and completely stop talking about it.
“Starting today, I think we all should forget about what happened this year,” he said. “We shouldn’t even be talking about it, just to be ready for the next year.”
With the Ben Simmons drama, Embiid’s injury, Doc Rivers rumors and Matisse Thybulle ineligibility, it’s clear there were a lot of distractions and Korkmaz might be right in wanting to put all of that behind him.
However, Korkmaz saw his numbers drop across the board after signing the three-year, $15 million deal, so he can’t be absolved completely, but this was a tumultuous year for the Sixers.
One glaring weakness for the Sixers is their bench, and that will certainly have to be an area that gets addressed in the offseason. There’s no clear answer on the roster at the moment as to who can step up and fill the void, so the Sixers will have to make some moves happen to make improvements there.
Korkmaz said his problems for this past season were sometimes mental and sometimes physical, but he didn’t go much deeper than that.
He’s still on a very affordable and team-friendly deal, so he could come back and play an important role for the Sixers, or he could be shipped out of town just as easily.
Big Summer Ahead
Getty ImagesJoel Embiid and James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers.
With James Harden saying he’ll be picking up his player option, the team will be running it back with the same duo, but the supporting cast will likely look a lot different.
Tobias Harris has been floated as a player that could be flipped for more assets, but there’s no telling what the plan is just yet.
Head coach is another area where the Sixers could make a change, and there are many people out there who think Rivers has already coached his last game for the team. He has been connected to the opening with the Los Angeles Lakers, and now the timing is right for him to make a jump.
Nothing has been announced as of yet, but there are already fans naming his potential replacement in the event he is let go. One thing’s for certain and it’s that this summer will be a very important one for the Sixers.
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