A Look At The 76ers Un-drafted Free Agents
While the 76ers did not have any draft picks during last Thursday’s draft, they did pick up some intriguing players that went un-drafted. 76ers GM Daryl Morey was criticized by 76ers fans for not trading into the second round, however, he was able to add three players that should provide solid depth for the team this upcoming season.
Ricky Council IV, Guard, Arkansas
https://arkansas.rivals.com/news/ricky-council-iv-signs-two-way-deal-with-76ers
The first player that I will take a look at is Ricky Council IV, a guard out of Arkansas. Council originally went to Wichita State but transferred to Arkansas last year. This past season Council averaged 16.1 points per game and shot 43.3 percent from the field. Council is a 6’6” guard that I think will most likely play the forward position in the NBA because he lacks the outside shot, shooting only 27 percent from the three. He also shot 79.4 percent from the free-throw line. These numbers need to improve as Council goes through the G-League this upcoming season. Council does not necessarily possess the height to make him a tall shooting guard, but with his three-point shooting numbers, it would not make sense to start him off in that position. I most likely foresee Council playing in the G-League all season next year and the 76ers will decide if he has the talent that can make him a possible bench piece.
Trequavion Smith, Guard, NC State
https://theathletic.com/4357936/2023/03/28/terquavion-smith-nba-draft/
At 6’4” Trequavion Smith could come off the bench for the 76ers as a backup point guard. He averaged 17.9 points at NC State and shot 38 percent from the field. His numbers shooting from the field do not wow me by any means, so right there is where Smith needs to improve the most. He does shoot three’s fairly well and last year shot 33.6 percent from beyond. Smith could be one of the players that finds his way on the floor in Philadelphia by the end of the season next year.
Azuolas Tubelis, Forward, Arizona
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
The two-time All-Pac-12 Team and the Pac-12 Freshman Team, Tubelis at 6’11” is now the second tallest player on the Sixers roster. At 19.8 points per game last season for Arizona, Tubelis should provide depth for the Sixers off the bench once he gets the nod to come up to the NBA. The downside to Tubelis' game is that he is not the best from the free throw line at 76.4 percent so that average is going to have to get better from the line. Tubelis is a decent outside shooter from beyond the arc at 31.3 percent. Tubelis also averaged 9.1 rebounds. In my opinion, Tubelis is the best un-drafted signing that the 76ers made after the draft. Tubelis offers the Sixers good height coming off the bench for the big club.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Marcus Bagley, Forward, Arizona State
Bagley did not play much during the past two seasons at Arizona State. Bagley has dealt with injuries throughout his college career. In his freshman year, he was limited to 12 games due to ankle and calf injuries. Bagley declared for the draft after a 10.8 point per game season and shot 38.7 percent from the three. Bagley withdrew from the draft and instead chose the transfer portal. He later returned to Arizona State for his sophomore season and then just three games into the season he suffered a knee injury. Then this past season he got suspended just two games in the season for a tweet that criticized Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley.
“ATHLETES please please please make a well thought decision about where you go to school. These people will tell you anything to build you up to tear you down.”
In the games that Bagley played in for Arizona State, he was an asset for the Sixers. We will see if Bagley can stay healthy and be an asset for the Sixers G-League team this year.
