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Redshirting a player is a pretty common practice in
collegiate athletics.
One of the benefits of redshirting a player for a year
during their college career is allowing the player time to acclimate to their
new team, league, or environment. A player can learn a lot, and improve upon
themselves throughout a redshirt year without losing any eligibility, or
suffering any serious in-game wear-and-tear to their body. Players often come
out of a redshirt year more mentally and physically prepared to play after
soaking up information on the sideline for a season.
In an unprecedented approach to rebuilding, the Sixers have
borrowed the common collegiate practice of redshirting and applied it to their
own organization.
The 2014-15 NBA season will represent the third straight
season in which the Sixers’ biggest offseason acquisition will sit for an
entire season. (It hasn’t been officially announced that Joel Embiid will sit
the entire season, but all signs point in that direction).
Assuming that Dario Saric stays in Turkey for at least two
seasons, then the 2015-16 NBA season will represent the fourth straight season that the Sixers will have a lottery pick (or
in Bynum’s case, a guy that lottery picks were traded to get) sitting out the
season. It is very difficult to pinpoint a situation in sports history where
something similar has occurred. Sure, Blake Griffin sat out his first year in
the league, and Derrick Rose missed the majority of two straight seasons
dealing with injury issues, but the patience and planning used by the Sixers in
this scenario is unparalleled.
(It is worth noting that Blake Griffin went on to win NBA
Rookie of the Year in 2011 after sitting out the entire season the year
before).
With no immediate intention to contend, the Sixers have
afforded their prized picks, not only time to recover from pre-existing injuries,
but also a chance to learn the league and improve upon themselves, both
physically and mentally, before being thrown into the fire.
Contending teams often look for immediate impact from their
draft picks, especially the ones selected in the first round. The Sixers have
gone the exact opposite route. Rather than rushing a player back to the roster
in the midst of a season sure to fall short of a championship, the Sixers’
approach allows players to not only build back up to their former form, but to
actually be better.
Nerlens Noel could have played late last season, but the
Sixers held him out, encouraging him instead to work on his strength, shot, and
other areas of his game that needed to be expanded for NBA play.
The extra-time improvement has already been evident
throughout the Sixers’ summer leagues, where Noel has appeared to be every bit
the rim-protecting, blocking-machine he was at Kentucky, with a better touch
from the foul line and a more developed offensive arsenal added in. (Take a
bow, Greg Foster).
In Dario Saric’s case, there is no injury, but he is still
being given ample time to improve. The day after the draft, Sam Hinkie alluded
to the fact that Saric would be learning and growing his game in Turkey while
competing against solid professional competition. When Saric is ready to come
contribute to the Sixers down the road, he will be a better player than he was
on draft day, as Noel is.
Joel Embiid’s road to recovery will look a lot like Noel’s,
with the team emphasizing the long-term health and development of the player
over immediate impact. Embiid might be medically cleared to play come January
or February. But with the Sixers likely long out of contention by then, the
biggest benefit to Embiid’s career may be to have him sit the season, work on
his conditioning and his game, and prepare to play when the Sixers are climbing
back into contention.
Without immediate intention to contend, the Sixers have the
luxury of allowing their prized picks, all younger than 20 years old, the
opportunity of development and improvement.
While such an approach may test the patience of the
Philadelphia faithful, the team’s mission is clear:
Develop a deep, and wide-ranging talent pool that sees
players spread across the globe; on the Sixers’ sideline, in the D-League, in
Turkey, and elsewhere throughout the world. Ideally, this approach will allow
players to stay sharp and develop their games until it is time to come and
contribute to the Sixers.
Coming off of a 19-63 year, with the upcoming season shaping
up to be another struggle, you tend to search for a silver lining. While it is
difficult to watch top acquisitions sit for a season, the development, both
physically and mentally, that occurs during that ‘redshirt’ season, could prove
very valuable to their career long-term.
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