2034-2035 76ers Preseason Press Conference

[Keepit100]

Hey folks,

Excited to build off last season's progress and look forward to seeing what this group can do this year to make some noise in the Alpha Conference.

Recapping last season, the 76ers finished 39-43 and ended up 9th in the Alpha conference. A disappointing finish for sure, but the squad almost doubled the win total from 2032-2033 and that was a great momentum booster for the guys.

The backcourt is continuing to gel with Wiseman as the team's anchor and Winston and Toppin making significant gains in the weight room. The 76ers were excited to see Mamadi Diakite fall to them at #11 in the draft and fans should expect him to come off the bench this year for some much-needed frontcourt youth with Smallwood. The Sixers also brought in some wily veterans this season with Abney, Bagley III, Edmunds, Irvine, McKoy, and Ulis to offer a more balanced approach to the lineup. The hope is that the vets can teach the young guys the ropes of navigating a PBSL season and continue to build off last year's gains.

Overall, I am excited about the squad's prospects this year, but I know it will be another tough season as the conference somehow continues to get stronger and stronger. I think the Sixers are going to be in the playoff conversation at season's end but for now we are just continuing to trust the process because this team's future is looking better and better each and every day.

Any questions?

[false9]

Who's your starting 5?

[MexicanMamba]

Which new addition will be most crucial to your success this season?

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[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Colin Smallwood was all-league 2nd team last year, yet you brought in vets like Bagley III, Abney, and Domingo McKoy. What will Smallwood's role be this season?

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Unlike the rest of your roster, the point guard position looks rather thin, with only the still-developing Winston and aging Ulis listed. Do you see yourself making a trade to fix that, or are you comfortable rolling with your roster as-is and will just shuffle pieces around as needed?

[Bowtothebill23]

The 76ers had an excellent training camp this season. Whose progress excites you most and why?

[Keepit100]

Who's your starting 5?

at least for sim 1

PG - Irvine
SG - Edmunds
SF - Wiseman
PF - Bagley III
C - Abney

[Keepit100]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Colin Smallwood was all-league 2nd team last year, yet you brought in vets like Bagley III, Abney, and Domingo McKoy. What will Smallwood's role be this season?

Expect Colin to be a solid contributor off the bench - he did a great job on the offensive end last season, but there is still some work to do to develop his defensive chops so I think he is a better fit to provide a spark on the 2nd unit this season.

[Keepit100]

Which new addition will be most crucial to your success this season?

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I really like Bagley's game - reminds me of an older version of Sabo - a very capable 2-way player

[Keepit100]

Random Reporter: Unlike the rest of your roster, the point guard position looks rather thin, with only the still-developing Winston and aging Ulis listed. Do you see yourself making a trade to fix that, or are you comfortable rolling with your roster as-is and will just shuffle pieces around as needed?

Yeah, I think my biggest setback during the offseason was that I was unable to land a bridge PG between Winston and Ulis. Last season I experimented with Irvine at PG and got good results. Glenn took a hit during TC, but I think he is still capable of managing PG minutes so at least for the beginning of the year I will use him there too. Just dont be surprised to see me out on the trade market as the season progresses.

[Keepit100]

The 76ers had an excellent training camp this season. Whose progress excites you most and why?

Yeah, TC as a whole went like I expected it would with the youngsters having great camps and the vets taking a big but not fatal hit so overall I was very pleased. It is probably a cop-out, but I am very excited to see Cassius Winston continue to develop. He was drafted as o/b and became y/b last TC and then followed it up with the best individual TC this year. He has now led the 76ers in TC gains in back-to-back years, and I think there is still room to grow moving forward. I'm not quite sure what kind of weapon Winston will be for the 76ers, but if he continues to make these kinds of gains in TC he will be seeing starter minutes very soon.

[NOLa.]

You're in a very lucky yet very challenging position in my opinion. With the success of past years draft lottos and picks, UFA pick ups, and good training camps you've done what some GMs wish they could: have win now pieces and youth.

However, I always feel having a foot in each and not committing to one backfires in the long run. Youth will eventually get paid in RFA, and the tax can cause this to be an issue. Do you think you can keep up the balance of competing for your division and invest in your youth? If you had to pick one or the other which would you choose?

[ballsohard]

You mentioned in some conversations with me about wanting to build your own thing in Philly. Can you discuss that vision ?


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[Keepit100]

You're in a very lucky yet very challenging position in my opinion. With the success of past years draft lottos and picks, UFA pick ups, and good training camps you've done what some GMs wish they could: have win now pieces and youth.

However, I always feel having a foot in each and not committing to one backfires in the long run. Youth will eventually get paid in RFA, and the tax can cause this to be an issue. Do you think you can keep up the balance of competing for your division and invest in your youth? If you had to pick one or the other which would you choose?

Good question - I am starting to slow down on investing in player training with this in mind because Wiseman/Smallwood are up for RFA next offseason and Toppin/Winston are joining em in 2036 so I think after this season I will have to start building a bank that is capable of paying a tax should I max out more than 2 of these rookie contracts.

[NickMalone77]

How much of a role do you envision your new rookie, Mamadi Diakite, playing in what looks like a crowded front court?

[Eazy P]

is this season playoffs or bust for you squad?

[Keepit100]

You mentioned in some conversations with me about wanting to build your own thing in Philly. Can you discuss that vision ?

Yeah sure - like I said in our PM the 76ers team I inherited definitely had some talent - some All-League with Udoka/Sabo, some solid players like Candeleria, Modestine Degrimonpon, Oliver Dennis and Hollis Wiley and even a fringe starter in Gregory Haddock. I just didnt know what I wanted to do with them at first. I started shedding the guys rather quickly with Haddock, Dennis, Wiley, and Modestine out by year 1. Candeleria was gone by year 2, but once Sabo went down for 1/2 season and Udoka broke his leg the following sim I realized in year 3 this is not the team I want moving forward. I chose to not max Udoka, traded Sabo for draft capital, and the rest is history.

I think I decided to take the opposite approach in my Philly rebuild and build from the outside-inwards. Wiseman, Toppin, and Winston all have the potential to be capable scorers and perimeter defenders whereas Sabo/Udoka anchored the Philly D in the paint. I also want to develop a more athletic team compared to what I had before - still a ways off from that goal but more time in the weight room and positive gains in TC will hopefully close that gap.

[Keepit100]

How much of a role do you envision your new rookie, Mamadi Diakite, playing in what looks like a crowded front court?

Definitely see him as spark off the bench and working in tandem with Smallwood - I really like Mamadi's potential and can see him doing some damage against other teams' 2nd string PFs

[Keepit100]

is this season playoffs or bust for you squad?

yes - I see the 76ers competing with the Nets and Nuggets for the 6/7 seeds so if Philly ends up 8th or worse it will be disappointing

[AngryBanana]

What is your thought process of playing waters at SF?


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[Keepit100]

What is your thought process of playing waters at SF?


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yolo

[IamQuailman]

Are you excited to come in 2nd place in the division?

[Keepit100]

Are you excited to come in 2nd place in the division?

Aint no shame finishing 2nd to Brooklyn