Sixers Insider

Roster Review: Power Forward

Last Season:

The Sixers used a combination of veteran leadership and youthful flash to fill out the power forward position last season. Reggie Evans, Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith all saw time at the four this year, each bringing his own style to the Sixers.

In his first season in Philadelphia, Reggie Evans became a cult hero, winning over the Sixers fans with his incredible energy and hustle. Evans could ignite the crowd and his teammates with his never-give-up style of play. Whether he was grabbing an offensive rebound to keep a possession alive or forcing his opponents into making mistakes, Evans was a spark for the Sixers. Besides being a high-energy player, Evans did some incredible work on the boards, averaging 7.9 rpg (second on the team). Factoring in that he only played 23.3 minutes per game, his rebound rate per 48 minutes was 15.7 (10th best among players who had at least 50 games played).

After a mid-season trade and a shift in offensive style, playing time opened up for Thaddeus Young to make significant contributions at the four. Being extremely crafty with his left hand, Young added scoring firepower in just his rookie season. Most power forwards who matched up against Young couldn’t keep up with his pace, allowing the Sixers to run teams into the ground when he was on the floor. Young was an asset on the defensive end as well. His length and athleticism allowed the Sixers to switch defensively, giving Coach Cheeks more options in his defensive schemes. Young could also muscle up with bigger forwards, not allowing them to take advantage of the size mismatch.

Jason Smith, another first-round pick, showed promise as a versatile big man who logged minutes at both power forward and center. Smith played in 76 games, averaging 4.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.66 blocks per game. His athleticism allowed him to get up and down the floor with ease, fitting in perfectly with the Sixers up-tempo style. At 7 feet tall, Smith showed he had the ability to be a good help shot-blocker, finishing second on the team in swats this season. Smith was also a viable option on the break, being an active trailer who could flush home dunks in transition.

Next Season

There is little doubt that the Sixers need an upgrade at power forward if the team is to take the next step. Although Evans, Young, and Smith did an admirable job last season, the Sixers will be looking for a back-to-the-net player who can give them the low-post threat they sorely lacked this year.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that the trio of fours the Sixers used last year will be going anywhere. Evans gives the Sixers a needed energy boost off the bench, he can rebound with the best of them and defends well. Young will be looking to get more minutes at the three, a position he is naturally suited for, which opens up more minutes for a new player. As for Smith, he will continue to split time at both power forward and center, giving Cheeks plenty of choices for different combinations.

Options

President and GM, Ed Stefanski, has made it clear that the Sixers are in search of a power forward. Free agency, or the NBA Draft, could be an option.

With the 16th pick in the June 26th draft, the Sixers could look to draft a young low-post player that the team can build on.

This SIXERS.COM season review in no way reflects the ideas or opinions of the Sixers players, coaching staff, scouts or front office.