The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2023 off-season as one of the most handcuffed teams in the league. They had zero draft capital in the 2023 NBA Draft and began free agency as the 26th-ranked team in spendable cap money. While the off-season is far from over, the writing on the wall is that Philly will run it back next season with the same core of stars. Even though the team has not been able to acquire any big names, they were able to make room to sign two free agents to one-year deals. Those two free agents were Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba.
76ers Sign Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba
Patrick Beverley – The Good
At this point in his career, Patrick Beverley will not be a player who can make much of an offensive impact. However, that does not mean he cannot influence how basketball is played in Philadelphia. For years, it felt like the 76ers did not have enough gritty players willing to fire up teammates and do the dirty work on the basketball court. Even at the age of 34, Beverley is a guy that can do both of those things.
Beverley had a defensive rating of 113.5 last season, the highest of his career. While Philadelphia was one of the top-ten defensive teams in the league last year, adding a guard that can defend at a high level is something the team needed. His willingness to get on the floor and fight for loose balls can win Philadelphia an extra few games throughout the season.
On the Pat Bev Podcast with Rone, Beverley expressed his excitement to be a 76er.
“I am ready to get to work. I’m ready to put ‘PHILA’ across the chest and leave it all out there. That’s the only thing I know and that’s the only thing I do, anyway. I hope the city appreciates that.”
As long as Beverley can help the 76ers win games this season, the team’s fans will appreciate his efforts.
Patrick Beverley – The Bad
Despite the positives Patrick Beverley can bring to the team, the negative aspects of his game cannot be ignored. There are reasons he has been on four different teams since 2020.
Beverley has a history of being a player that allows his confidence to get the best of him. While confidence can certainly elevate a player’s game, Beverley often finds himself trash-talking too much in losing efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mSARy0IYG0
In his 11 years in the NBA, he has only played in a conference finals once. It is also no coincidence that the Los Angeles Lakers got better as a team when they rid themselves of Beverley and his antics.
Mo Bamba – The Good
The backup center position has always been a question mark during the Joel Embiid era. While Paul Reed seems to have developed into a reliable player that can back up Embiid, Mo Bamba gives the team even more depth should anything happen to either of their centers.
One of the strengths of Bamba’s game is his rebounding. Bamba has only averaged over 20 minutes per game once in his career, yet he still carries a career average of 5.8 total rebounds per game over five seasons. He also can provide rim protection when Embiid is off the court, which the team had none of last season without Embiid.
Mo Bamba – The Bad
After leaving the Orlando Magic, Bamba only played nine games for the Los Angelos Lakers; he essentially became a bench warmer. Despite being gifted with size, Bamba has been inefficient on offense. He has only averaged 7.5 points per game in his career. While that is not a terrible number, injuries have prevented him from developing as a scorer.
The unfortunate truth is Bamba is more recognized for his name being the title of a mainstream song than he is as a basketball player.
The Last Word on Patrick Beverly and Mo Bamba
Overall, Patrick Beverley is a low-risk, high-reward signing for the 76ers. His tangibles and intangibles are things that Philadelphia needs, but history suggests that he is not a winning player. His leash will be short in Philly, but he will have the opportunity to prove that he can provide more good than bad.
Mo Bamba is also a player that is a low-risk signing. If he can give the 76ers a solid ten-plus minutes a night, it will be a successful signing. However, he will need to be able to grab rebounds and protect the rim to get those minutes.
Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba may not be lifesavers for Philadelphia, but they certainly have the skillsets to be quality role players next season.
