NBA News: Philadelphia 76ers Roster for the 2016 – 2017 Season; Can Homegrown Talent Bring the 76ers Back to Winning?

76ers look to improve from 10-72 last season

By Allen Marcon, CP Contributor Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Philadelphia 76ers' rebuilding experiment has been going on for a few seasons now and the team looks to improve from the league's worst record last year at 10-72.

The way that the 76ers are looking to do this is through youth and homegrown talent. Experts believe that the season will rest on how well number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons adjusts to the NBA style of playing.

Jerryd Bayless (point guard)

Jerryd Bayless is one of the few new faces on the 76ers as he was a free agent signing from the Bucks during the offseason. Bayless is not a flash player but instead he focuses on smart passing and ball control, which is what the point guard's job is.

Bayless is a small upgrade from last season's point guard Isaiah Canaan who is not yet resigned with the team, however it would seem that Canaan would be playing backup if he decides to resign.

Nik Stauskas (shooting guard)

Stauskas was an early trade last offseason with the Sacramento Kings. A former first-round pick Stauskas is turning into a fine shooting guard averaging 11 points and 3 rebounds per game in his first season with the team.

Stauskas is poised to be the shooting guard of the future as he is young and meshes well with the rest of the team.

Ben Simmons (small forward)

Now, it is hard to place exactly where number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons will be playing next season. Some have him at power forward while others place him at small forward since Simmons can play both positions.

Simmons could start at small forward to utilize his ball-handling skills as well as to maximize that number of taller players the 76ers have on their roster. The 76ers will looks to Simmons to play a lot of minutes and score a lot of points, the organization is looking to a future with Simmons and hopefully he will live up to the expectations.

Nerlens Noel (power forward)

Nerlens Noel is one of the big men that the 76ers have drafted over the years and the former first-round draft choice has started to play up to his potential. Averaging 11 points and 8 rebounds per game last season, Noel is hoping that his injuries will not slow him down moving forward.

Noel can play both the power forward and center position as he stands 6"-10', but look to him starting at power forward as the 76ers would like to also have Jahil Okafor on the court as well.

Jahil Okafor (Center)

Jahil Okafor was doing great during his rookie season before it ended with knee surgery. He was averaging 17.5 points per game as well as 7 rebounds. While Okafor did serve a short suspension due to poor conduct, the 76ers have assured everyone that it would not happen again.

While Okafor's name has been on the trade block lately especially with the Boston Celtics, if the trade does not go through he will be the starter at center come opening day.

While the 76ers' rebuilding era has been long and difficult for fans of the team, it looks like they will continue to improve over the next two to three seasons. It looks like nowhere to go but up for this young and talented team.