The 76ers are entering year three under general manager Sam Hinkie's aggressive rebuilding strategy with a need to show some progress. In 2014/15 the team won only 18 games and finished with the worst offense in the league. They only won consecutive games four times all season and saw their defense slip after trading former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams for a draft pick.
Philadelphia 76ers 2015 roster: There’s finally some talent around in Year 3 of the rebuild
The 76ers continue with their slow rebuild but have added some talent that should make them more entertaining in 2015/16.
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All that losing was by design, of course. The franchise is focusing on building through the draft and developing young players. On that front, last season was a moderate success as Nerlens Noel emerged as a potentially game-changing presence on the defensive end. On the flip side, Joel Embiid missed the entire season with a foot injury that flared up again this offseason and could threaten his career.
Going into next year, Philadelphia has added an elite prospect in Jahlil Okafor and picked up former eighth overall pick Nik Stauskas on a salary dump by the Kings. They have also added depth at point guard and are hoping for continued improvement from their collection of young forwards. The 76ers were a decent defensive team under Brett Brown last season. If they can improve on offense, they will start to resemble a normal rebuilding team.
LAST YEAR
RECORD: 18-64
PLAYOFFS: missed
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 93 (30th)
DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 102.1 (13th)
ROSTER
| No. | PLAYER | POS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | AGE | COLLEGE |
| 7 | Carl Landry | PF | 6'9 | 248 | 32 | Purdue |
| 8 | Jahlil Okafor | C | 6'11 | 245 | 19 | Duke |
| 4 | Nerlens Noel | C | 6'11 | 228 | 21 | Kentucky |
| 21 | Joel Embiid | C | 7'0 | 250 | 21 | Kansas |
| 11 | Nik Stauskas | SG | 6'6 | 205 | 21 | Michigan |
| 19 | Furkan Aldemir | PF | 6'10 | 240 | 24 | Galatasaray |
| 1 | Tony Wroten | G | 6'6 | 205 | 22 | Washington |
| 5 | Kendall Marshall | PG | 6'4 | 200 | 24 | North Carolina |
| 22 | Richaun Holmes | PF | 6'10 | 245 | 21 | Bowling Green |
| 33 | Robert Covington | SF | 6'9 | 215 | 24 | Tennessee St. |
| 31 | Hollis Thompson | SG | 6'8 | 206 | 24 | Georgetown |
| 0 | Isaiah Canaan | PG | 6'0 | 201 | 24 | Murray St. |
| 39 | Jerami Grant | F | 6'8 | 210 | 21 | Syracuse |
| 55 | Pierre Jackson | PG | 5'10 | 180 | 24 | Baylor |
| 9 | JaKarr Sampson | F | 6'9 | 214 | 22 | St. John's |
Coach: Brett Brown
Assistant coaches: Lloyd Pierce, Billy Lange, Sean Rooks, Billy Babcock, Eugene Burroughs
OFFSEASON CHANGES
IN: Kendall Marshall, Pierre Jackson, Nik Stauskas, Jahlil Okafor, Richaun Holmes, Carl Landry.
OUT: Jason Richardson, Thomas Robinson, Glen Robinson III, Ish Smith.
The 76ers rented out their cap space to the Kings, adding Carl Landry and Nik Stauskas in the process. They also looked for point guard depth by signing Pierre Jackson and Kendall Marshall to multi-year contracts. In the draft they selected Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes.
DEPTH CHART
| POINT GUARD | SHOOTING GUARD | SMALL FORWARD | POWER FORWARD | CENTER | |
| STARTER | Kendall Marshall | Nik Stauskas | Robert Covington | Nerlens Noel | Jahlil Okafor |
| RESERVE | Tony Wroten | Hollis Thompson | Jerami Grant | Carl Landry | Joel Embiid |
| RESERVE | Isaiah Canaan | JaKarr Sampson | Richaun Holmes | Furkan Aldemir | |
| RESERVE | Pierre Jackson |
THE KEY QUESTION
PREDICTIONS
BEST CASE: Brown keeps his young players trying hard on defense and Okafor emerges as a legitimate first option in the post as a rookie. Stauskas shows potential and Noel keeps growing. The 76ers still finish with a bad record and a shot at the top pick but show progress as a team.
WORST CASE: The defensive slide the team suffered after the trade deadline worsens after the addition of Okafor pushes Noel to the perimeter. No one else on the roster proves to be a keeper, forcing the front office to make multiple moves during the season once again.
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