The Philadelphia 76ers may already be moving on from a draft pick that never fit cleanly in the first place.
Johni Broome, taken with the 35th overall pick in last year’s draft, is now being mentioned as a possible cut candidate as the team looks to create room for its newest additions. That would be a sharp turn from what many expected, since the more obvious move seemed to be parting with Jabari Walker after the club waived Dalen Terry. Those two players were on deals without fully guaranteed salaries for next season, but the Sixers appear to be leaning toward giving up on Broome instead.
That possibility says plenty about where things stand with the Auburn product. He has not made much of an impact, and the front office does not seem especially sold on his long-term upside.
The pick itself came under scrutiny from the start. It was the Daryl Morey regime that made the call, but the choice raised eyebrows because Broome’s game did not line up well with what Philadelphia needed.
He is undersized for a center, yet not agile or mobile enough to comfortably slide to power forward. He operates best in the post, while the Sixers needed more of a big who could stretch the floor and step away from the paint with regularity.
That mismatch showed up in how his rookie season unfolded. Broome spent most of the year with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G-League, and an injury late in the season kept him from even being available as an option for the parent club.
In the end, the concern around the pick was always the same: the skill set and the roster need never seemed to match. Now, the Sixers may be forced to make the more difficult move and move on from him anyway.
With Mike Gansey now running the front office, the hope is that Philadelphia avoids repeating that kind of mistake. This year’s draft decisions have been viewed more positively, offering at least a little relief after the frustration left behind by the Broome selection.
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