Coming into the offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded point guard Michael Carter-Williams​ at the trade deadline last season, were intent on replacing him through the draft. However, the Los Angeles Lakers threw the Sixers off course when they selected Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell instead, the player that Philly sorely needed.

Since the Sixers were thrown off their path, they had no other choice but to select the next best player available with the third overall pick, and they chose Jahlil Okafor. Although Philadelphia is stacked with young big men, Okafor was a phenomenal pick for them.

The 19-year old averaged 14.0 points and 8.3 rebounds at the Utah Summer League, showing his low post scoring prowess. Okafor also participated in two games at the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Without question Okafor is going to be a special talent and a huge building block for the Sixers. Now, with the regular season approaching, Okafor will have to use training camp and preseason to try and mesh with Nerlens Noel in the frontcourt. The only problem is that both of the young prospects play the center position, meaning one or the other may have to shift to the four position to make it work.

Nonetheless, talent wise Okafor was the second best player heading into the 2015 NBA draft, and the Sixers took him with the third pick, disregarding team needs and taking the best player available.

But since the Sixers took a center during the draft, what did they do to upgrade their point guard position? Nothing, other than signing undrafted guard Scottie Wilbekin to a four-year partially guaranteed deal.    

The 6-foot-2, 22-year-old point guard went undrafted in 2014 and traveled overseas to start a basketball career. He signed a deal with an Australian team, Cairns Taipans, and averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest, appearing in 32 games. He also played nine games for AEK Athens in Greece before joining the Orlando Magic white team for the 2015 Summer League.

Wilbekin actually has a great chance of making the roster, but he is not the ideal future point guard the Sixers are looking for. In any case, Tony Wroten, who is recovering from a torn ACL, should continue to be Philadelphia’s starting point guard.

Turning our attention back to the draft, the Sixers selected Richaun Holmes during the second round with the 37th overall pick. The 21-year old is a strong, athletic power forward with solid rebounding ability. However, it may be tough for Holmes to find minutes in a crowded frontcourt, but he will be another young prospect the Sixers will look to develop over the years.

Aside from stockpiling young prospects, the Sixers made a few moves during free agency. They gave the Sacramento Kings cap relief by taking on the contracts of Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, and Nik Stauskas in exchange for a future second-round pick and overseas players.

Out of the three players that Philly acquired, Stauskas is the one they should be excited about. Although he had a disappointing rookie campaign, Philadelphia is a wonderful landing spot for the sharpshooter. Stauskas can earn heavy minutes playing for a young team that is undergoing a rebuilding project and will have a great opportunity to bounce back to prove the critics wrong.

Landry, meanwhile, is not expected to be a big part of the team. He was basically a throw in and may just serve as a veteran presence. As for Thompson, the Sixers helped out the Golden State Warriors by dealing him for Gerald Wallace. Philly attained another veteran piece while helping the Warriors shed some salary and giving them a serviceable player.

Essentially Philadelphia was once again a salary dump destination for other teams. There is absolutely no problem with that since the Sixers are in the middle of rebuilding, as long as the contracts they are obtaining are expiring. But as far as next season goes, the Sixers didn’t do anything in free agency that would strengthen the roster.

Nevertheless, the NBA draft was Philadelphia’s highlight this offseason, and despite not getting what they needed, the Sixers at least got what they wanted, a young, talented player with tremendous upside. Solely based on that fact, it has been a rather successful summer in the city of Brotherly Love. They will continue to establish talent while more than likely becoming a lottery team once again.

Off-Season Grade: C+