The Philadelphia 76ers have a talented roster, albeit with issues surrounding their front office. Daryl Morey has managed to create a squad that can compete for a high playoff seeding but some of their players are not as battle-tested as others. Joel Embiid and James Harden have expressed how disgruntled they are with the debacle between players and the management. The best the team could be able to do is try to compete for a playoff spot. That all starts with deciphering which players are ready for the 82-game season and who gets cut after the NBA Preseason. There are two notable Sixers players who may be on the chopping block in the current roster, Danuel House Jr. and Terquavion Smith.

Do the Sixers let go of Danuel House Jr. or Terquavion Smith?

Both do not have as much name recall as compared to the other names in the team. But, they can provide solid minutes. The next big leap they could take is to prove that they would be good alongside James Harden and Joel Embiid in the preseason.

Let's start by discussing Terquavion Smith.

The rookie out of the NC State program has solidified himself as a certified bucket-getter in the ACC. He notched 17.9 points per game on a serviceable 33.6% clip from all three levels of scoring. Smith focused a little bit more on his playmaking in his last season with the team. He saw a huge jump in that department. This got him a 4.1 assist per game average which was a large improvement from his previous season. Smith only got 2.1 dimes on average in the previous season.

His defense is also elite. He hounded ball handlers well which got him 1.4 steals per game. Smith has a high ceiling which can be utilized once James Harden or Patrick Beverley opts out. The Sixers will need a backup alongside Tyrese Maxey and Smith could start doing just that in the NBA Preseason.

Sixers, Danuel House Jr, Joel Embiid

Danuel House Jr. needs to improve

So, is it Danuel House Jr facing a lot of pressure?

Yes. The NBA journeyman has been around the league since the 2016-17 season and yet has not contributed to what shows up on the stat sheet and the intangibles. Last season, he was given 14 minutes per game. House only averaged 4.8 points on 47.2% field goal shooting.

The weaker part of his game is his shot from beyond the arc. He seems to have regressed in that area of the offense and has not shown signs of bouncing back. House used to hit shots from downtown with a 41.5% clip. With the Sixers, he fell all the way down to shooting just 33.6% from far out.

The most any NBA team has gotten out of House's offensive production was with the Houston Rockets. Back in the 2019-20 season, he notched 10.5 points while grabbing 4.2 boards per game. House has steadily laid back in his production since then, especially with the Joel Embiid-led squad.

The main concern is how he plans to outshine other people in the rotation who are worth their production. In the Sixers' NBA Preseason loss to the Boston Celtics, House did not score a single point. Whether it was by design or accident, the team needed those points in such a close deficit. Getting 16 minutes while only producing five rebounds and assists might not cut it. Will he be the next domino to fall after the NBA Preseason?