Devonte’ Graham (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
One thing has become clear, the Philadelphia 76ers have upgraded their depth this offseason. The biggest bench addition for the Sixers is De’Anthony Melton who is presumed to take on the role of being the team’s sixth man.
Melton has a real chance to break out this season with no other true guard competition on the roster, no disrespect to Shake Milton. However, how well will Melton compare to the other Sixth men entering this upcoming season?
That being written, this offseason seems like the ideal time to rank each sixth man in the NBA. These are just projected sixth men and obviously, things can change as the season starts. If a player isn’t healthy, then they won’t be included on this list.
30. Jalen Smith, PF/C
Despite being a failed lottery pick on the Phoenix Suns, Jalen Smith showed flashes of potential on the Indiana Pacers last season. The big has a chance to shine behind Myles Turner. However, if Turner gets traded he may start for the Pacers.
29. Tre Mann, G
Despite Chet Hologram set to miss the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder still have an exciting young core. Second year guard, Tre Man is a part of that core and he showed real flashes of being a scorer last season. With a healthy backcourt entering the season, Mann will be coming off the bench and should provide a nice scoring punch as a result.
28. Kelly Olynyk, PF/C
Kelly Olynyk is one of the few veterans on this young Detriot Pistons team. They have quality guard depth but there are still questions in the front court and that’s where Olynyk can have an impact coming off the bench to provide spacing as a shooter.
27. Kendrick Nunn, G
Despite missing all of last season, Kendrick Nunn is still the best reserve that the Los Angeles Lakers have. When he was a member of the Miami Heat, the young guard was a solid two-way player and he can be that for the Lakers this year.
26. Devonte’ Graham, PG
Last season proved that Devonte’ Graham isn’t an NBA starter. The New Orleans Pelicans struggled with him as a starter and he struggled too. He’s the type of guy who can get 20 points on any given night off the bench and that’s something any playoff team needs. If he was more efficient, then he’d be higher on this list.
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