Howard Smith – USA TODAY Sports
Recently player development has been a common theme for the Philadelphia 76ers and this summer it could be taken to a whole new level.
Throughout the course of their rebuilding plan — which dates back to June 2013 — the 76ers have always preached player development. Whether it be in regards to one of their top draft picks such as Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel or an undrafted free agent such JaKarr Sampson, general manager Sam Hinkie has entrusted head coach Brett Brown and the rest of his staff to develop the team’s athletically raw young players into legitimate NBA talent.
The 76ers will enter this year’s draft with a minimum of six picks, including five in the second round. Just last year the franchise managed to find both K.J. McDaniels (who was traded to the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline) and Jerami Grant in the second round.
As of now it remains uncertain how Hinkie and the 76ers will exactly use all of their draft picks, but one way they could use them is to stash players. While this has been done before, it has typically been done with international players. These players are often kept overseas on an international team’s dime until their NBA team decides to use their services. This year the 76ers appear to be a candidate to this. However, unlike many teams in the past, the 76ers could stash a player domestically and that player could just be 22-year-old Jamal Jones.
A 6-foot-8 forward, Jones spent all of last year playing in the NBA D-League with the Delaware 87ers — the 76ers’ NBA D-League affiliate. After leaving Texas A&M in July of 2014, Jones decided to attempt to boost his draft stock by playing in the D-League as opposed to transferring to another school. Although he entered the league as a talented scorer, Jones only averaged 7.8 points per game last season. Despite this however, Jones told RealGM that he could still draw the interest of the 76ers during the 2015 NBA Draft.
“The Sixers have had interest in me all year just because even though I didn’t have a good season with Delaware, they were always there for the practices and they have seen what I’m capable of. They’re very interested, and want me come up, work out for them and see how I’ve progressed in the time since the season ended.”
If Jones were to be selected by the 76ers in the upcoming draft, he would almost certainly be a domestically draft and stashed player — a trend the Oklahoma City Thunder started last year when their first-round pick Josh Huestis signed with the team’s D-League affiliate as opposed to with them.
Should this be the case, Jones would decline a contract offer from the 76ers and instead sign with their D-League affiliate Delaware — the team he played 46 games for last year. If this happens, many will criticize Hinkie and the 76ers for going out of their way to continue to “tank.”
For the 76ers, stashing Jones with their D-League affiliate would mean a few things. First, the money Jones would be set to make next season will not count against their cap. Second, Jones would not take up a roster spot, which in turn could be given to someone else who is more NBA-ready. Third, by playing with Delaware all season long, the 76ers could get him accustomed to their style of play and how they as a franchise operate, much like a MLB team does with their minor-league talent.
As a projected borderline second-round pick, Jones’ contract would be non-guaranteed if he was in fact drafted and signed with an NBA team. However this would mean that he could be released at any time without any financial compensation. Instead of going through this process and then having to look for another place to play a few months from now, Jones would be able to settle right back in where he is familiar with and continue to develop his game.
This type of strategy may not be a common place in the NBA today, but with the continuing expansion of the D-League, this is sure to happen more and more in the future. It may be unpopular with some, but for the 76ers, using the D-League as another avenue for player development is nothing short of a smart decision.
Greg Sacidor is a Feature Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Greg_Sacidor or add him to your network on Google.
