The Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of some heavy drama this offseason, with Ben Simmons setting it straight that he is done with the franchise. The 3-time All-Star relayed to the organization that he won't show up for training camp and will never don a Sixers uniform ever again.
Let's say Philly was magically afforded a time machine. With it, they could travel back to the 1990's, take a player from that decade, and slot him into their current roster. There is no doubt the Sixers would do that in a heartbeat, especially with the Simmons situation ongoing.
If Philadelphia were able to, who would be two stars from the 1990's that they would bring along? Here are a couple from that era the Sixers could use on their roster right now.
1. Penny Hardaway
If the Sixers want another big guard to replace Simmons, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway would be the perfect point guard from the 1990's to fill the hole. Hardaway's career was unfortunately hampered with injuries and he remains among the top “what if's” in NBA history. Still, there's no denying how elite the former Orlando Magic star was throughout that decade.
A dynamic and explosive 6-foot-7 guard, Hardaway formed a deadly tandem with Shaquille O'Neal for the Magic. In their short time together, they terrorized the Eastern Conference and made a Finals appearance in 1995. Unfortunately, O'Neal moved to the Los Angeles Lakers a couple of years later and the NBA never saw that promising Orlando squad reach its peak.
While we never saw Hardaway reach the peak of his powers, Philly would undoubtedly welcome him with open arms and try to emulate what he and Shaq did in Orlando with Hardaway and Joel Embiid on the Sixers.
The 4-time All-Star would likely create that same dynamic with current Sixers superstar Embiid. The Cameroonian center is perhaps the closest player to O'Neal in today's NBA with the way he can dominate inside the paint.
Hardaway, now the head coach at the University of Memphis, would also bring the same kind of playmaking that Simmons does. A 20-PPG scorer in his days with Orlando, he is also a more willing scorer than Simmons. Though he wasn't quite a knock down shooter from long distance, Hardaway would not be a liability in that department for the Sixers.
2. John Stockton
If the Sixers want to go with a more traditional point guard, John Stockton would arguably be the top choice among the guards in the 1990's. If assists are the lone barometer for being the top playmaker in the NBA, John Stockton would the best in the history of the league. The Utah Jazz star finished his career with the most dimes in NBA history with 15,806 assists and no one has come close since.
Stockton made his name in 1990's as part of one of the best duos in the decade with Karl Malone. In Philadelphia, perhaps he could duplicate the same success with Joel Embiid.
Stockton-to-Malone rose to fame primarily because of their deadly pick-and-roll game. Stockton and Embiid could thrive with that element as well.
Another underrated aspect of the 10-time All-Star's game was his ability and willingness to get the ball to Malone down on the post, where “The Mailman,” more often than not, delivered. Embiid would undoubtedly love to play alongside a point guard like Stockton who would feed him and let him eat on the block.
Defensively, Stockton was also one of the best at his position and this should help address some of the defensive holes Simmons would leave. Aside from being the all-time assists leader, Stockton is also the all-time leader in steals. Despite standing at just 6-foot-1, his toughness and activity made him an absolute pest on that end of the floor.
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