(Associated Press)

For a guy without a true position, Thaddeus Young had himself a solid 2012-13 campaign.

 

He started all but six games, the ones he missed with a hamstring strain, while developing into a bona fide leader for the 76ers. He established career-highs with 34.6 minutes, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.8 steals, and scored 14.8 points per game – the second-most in his career for a single-season. And the small forward/power forward/center actually turned up his play AFTER returning from the injury report.

 

One caveat, though: Young was told by the Sixers’ coaching staff during his exit interview that it would be in his best interest to work on his outside game.

 

And … there’s that.

 

Young, who will make $8.2 million next season, is a high-energy, hustle man. He plays his best on the break and, considering the Sixers had him matched with opposing teams’ top post players, he held his own under the rim. Beyond that, well, he needs some work.

 

Consider: Young shot 59.3 percent (398-for-671) from the rim to within nine feet of it. From 10 feet to just inside the 3-point arc, Young struggled. He shot 39.4 percent (110-for-279). 

 

Quick assessment: Young is a guy who will not complain … even after putting the finishing touches on a down season.

 

“I think it was still a fun season,” he said, following the Sixers’ last game of the regular season. “We tried our best to keep fighting. We're a team that never quit.”

 

And because he won’t complain, the Sixers will never hear Young say what it’d be like if he was to align himself with a legitimate post player. That’s exactly what the Sixers should do for Young. It won’t be easy, either. The free agency market will be thin, and people within the Sixers have interest but are naturally hesitant to get into the Andrew Bynum sweepstakes. But adding someone with whom Young can pair in the paint – and no, Spencer Hawes is not that someone – would only continue Young’s development into one of the best low-post tweeners in the game.

(Associated Press)

For the sixth time in six seasons, Damien Wilkins played for a different team.

 

His one-year experiment with the 76ers bore some unexpected success: The ninth-year man went from deep reserve to rotation-cracking role player to starter. Counted on for vocal leadership, he gave the Sixers so much more (with 21 starts among his 61 games played, including a .459 shooting percentage in that span – second-best on the team).

 

The downside to Wilkins? Wilkins, whose 18 minutes per game were the most he’s logged since the 2009-10 season, played far too much time. For a winning club, he’s a well-rounded reserve at the beginnings of the second and fourth quarters, and in instances of foul trouble at the small forward spot. For the Sixers, he was clearly stretched him beyond his means.

Not like that mattered to Wilkins.

 

“As a competitor, a guy who gets paid to play, I want to play,” Wilkins said. “I love the game. I work hard in the offseason to play, not to sit.”

 

Quick assessment: Wilkins made the league minimum for a guy with as much experience as he has. If the Sixers can ink him to a similar deal, have at it. If Wilkins elects to try to parlay his increased playing time into a big pay day, the Sixers will go in a different direction.

 

For a green team like the Sixers, whose leaders Jrue Holiday and Thad Young sometimes are too youthful to command the locker room, having Wilkins around wasn’t a bad thing. And Wilkins hopes teams were watching him this season.

 

“All of the NBA is watching,” he said. “The logo on the top of your jersey is the biggest logo on your uniform and every night you go out there is your interview.

 

“Whether or not I found a home here is to be determined. Once free agency starts, this league is funny, man. You go out there and play the best you can, hope for the best in the offseason and it only takes one team to like you. Hopefully it's back here, it's great. If not, hopefully it's somewhere else that's as good an opportunity.”

(AP)

Every way you slice Dorell Wright’s season, it was a downer.

 

His scoring average – down. His shooting percentage – down. His rebounds – down. 

 

With Wright, confidence bred success. So when the swingman actually knew his role, toward the end of a playoff-free campaign with the 76ers, he played better. His averages went up. A jumpshooter by trade, Wright even became proficient at driving the lane. And for a team that had the second fewest free-throw attempts in the NBA, that wasn’t such a bad thing.

 

Wright was a $4 million hit to the salary cap, but a worthwhile one. He played defense, something his counterpart Nick Young did not. He stayed healthy, unlike his other wing-mate Jason Richardson. And believe it or not, his 3-point shooting percentage (37.4) was above his career average.

 

Quick assessment: All of that manifests in this fashion: It would be in the Sixers’ best interests to re-sign Wright, a free agent.

 

Wright, when asked toward the end of the season whether he’d be back in Philly, said, “I'm the type of dude who thought I'd be in Miami my whole career, so it's always good to be somewhere you're comfortable with and familiar with and happy with. I've had a good year here. I definitely wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind hanging with new guys, a new staff, a great group of guys and in an organization that cares and with passionate fans.”

 

Wright has said it took a while to feel comfortable, but when he did, he thrived. The Sixers, assuming they free up some cap space via trade or are willing to sign Wright at or near his salary from this past season, will undoubtedly offer Wright. And that’s not necessarily such a bad thing.

(AP)

Before the season, Arnett Moultrie said he had a goal in mind: Play 10 to 15 minutes per game, every game, in his first NBA season. It sounded attainable to him – if only he had known how much that pre-draft ankle injury would set him back

Moultrie, a rookie, made only 15 appearances in the 76ers' first 46 games. It took some time for the 6-10 forward to shake off the ill effects of his lingering ankle sprain and get himself in game shape to play in 33 of the team's final 36 games, posting a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in the Sixers' season finale.

“The playing time was the only thing,” Moultrie said. “The game at this level is a business. It's all about playing time and to continue getting playing time. I'm satisfied with my playing time (at the end of the season). I'll be even more satisfied if we go to the playoffs (next season).”

Moultrie demonstrated good hands and stout play at or above the rim, something the Sixers so desperately needed without Andrew Bynum in the picture. He averaged 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting a team-best 58.2 percent.

Quick assessment: Moultrie will be a starter before his sophomore season is up. His rise through the Sixers' rotation could be attributed largely to a lack of bodies his size, but he played increasingly well as the season progressed. Moultrie said he and outgoing Sixers president Rod Thorn agree that Moultrie's focus this offseason should be strength and conditioning. Should Moultrie build up his stamina, he should be able to not only meet but also exceed his expectation for playing time.

“Me and Rod – Rod Thorn, the president – both say I've got to work on my strength,” Moultrie said. “That's conditioning. This summer, I'll be able to spend a lot of time in the weight room. Last summer I was getting ready for predraft (camp). This summer, that's first thing I'm going to do.”

(Associated Press)

Whether it's his playing style, which gives off a lackadaisical impression, or his deadpan style of humor, Lavoy Allen often rubs people the wrong way.

Fans look at Allen, who recently finished the first season of a two-year, $6 million contract, and wonder 'what could be' if only the 6-9 forward asserted himself some more. His former coach, Doug Collins, wondered the same thing, always questioning Allen's “motor.”

Allen labored through a sophomore season in which he failed to meet the expectations others set out before him. He averaged 5.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 79 games played, including 37 starts. The absence of Andrew Bynum put even more pressure on Allen to perform, but that didn't seem to take hold with the Temple product.

“The one guy that really needs to (improve) is Lavoy,” Collins said. “Lavoy is very important to this franchise. If Lavoy will bounce back and have a good year next year, and you put Lavoy and Spencer (Hawes) out there, and Thad (Young) and Arnett (Moultrie), you've got four young bigs and how can you keep adding to that?”

Allen, who said he'll take two weeks off before beginning his offseason workouts, will focus on his strength and conditioning drills in the offseason. Allen has shown a preference for launching outside shots. Sure, he can hit them, but he's unable to harness the full potential of that facet of his game because of his reluctance to put the ball on the floor and drive every now and then. Allen shot 33 percent (152-for-444) from 10 feet to just inside the arc.

Quick assessment: The Sixers would be thrilled to get eight points and six rebounds per game from Allen, but they never seem to know what they're going to get from him. He scored in single digits in 60 of his 79 appearances and pulled in single-digit rebound totals in 75 of 79 games played. Strength and conditioning would improve Allen's approach to rebounding while also helping him feel a little more comfortable going to the rim to score.

It's an important offseason for Allen, and it'll be interesting to see how he uses the downtime to improve his game.

(Associated Press)

When Nick Young enters, people take notice. Case in point: The man was wearing a leopard-print sport jacket Wednesday as he left the locker room en route to the team bus.

The same could be said for the way he played in the season finale, entering a game the 76ers led by 21, only to draw attention by playing six woeful minutes, going 0-for-3 from the floor with one turnover.

Young, who made $6 million this season, has an expiring contract. He's said all along that he wants “a big contract,” though it's unlikely he'll get it from the Sixers. Young's rise and fall is peculiar. He was a solid sub off the bench before earning 11 consecutive starts. He shot himself out of the starting lineup, then played only seven of the final 25 games.

The guy they call Swaggy P shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from 3-point range, both ranking second-worst in his career for single-season averages. He also averaged 10.6 points with 1.4 assist-to-0.8 turnover-per-game ratio. They're not sterling numbers.

Because Young's instinct is to jack shots at will, he came a defensive liability in crunch time of winnable games … or even in games in which the Sixers had early leads. His specialty, which worked for a team with a losing record, was helping the Sixers rally. But a team that has an interest in turning around its fate might not have a spot next season for a guy like Young.

Quick assessment: Unless Young is willing to take less money, he won't be in a Sixers uniform next season. A guy who's paid to shoot didn't do so all that well and, because his game is so one-dimensional, it's difficult to rationalize him fitting in with what likely will be a more defensive-minded coach than Doug Collins. The Swag has left the building.

Young, when asked whether he thinks he'll return next season, was candid.

“Probably not, no,” he said. “We'll see. Free agency is tough, but, you know, it's always fun when you know you're going to be somewhere.”