Category: Philadelphia 76ers Blog

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed rookie forward Richaun Holmes.

Holmes appeared in all three games for the Sixers in the 2015 Utah Jazz Summer League, averaging 10 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes per game.

The 21-year-old spent his final three collegiate seasons at Bowling Green and was named Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and All-MAC First Team as a senior.

Holmes shot 55% for his career and left as Bowling Green’s all-time leader in blocks with 244. He became the first player in school history to record at least 1,000 points, 600 rebound and 200 blocks. Holmes also hit 18 3-pointers on 42% shooting as a senior after having 12 3FGM on 29% shooting his first two seasons with the Falcons.

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed guard Scottie Wilbekin.

Wilbekin was eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft following a standout career at Florida. As a senior, he was named SEC Player of the Year and earned Third Team All-America by the Associated Press. Wilbekin was also a two-time SEC All-Defensive selection and finished his career with 167 steals.

Last season, Wilbekin played 32 games for Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League and was named the club’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named First Team All-NBL after averaging 15 points, four assists, four rebounds and one steal per game with the Taipans. He later joined AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League, averaging eight points and four assists in nine games played.

Wilbekin competed for the Sixers in the 2014 Orlando Pro Summer League and the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he finished second on the team in scoring with 14 points per game and averaged three 3-pointers made per game.

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed guard Pierre Jackson.

Jackson (5-10, 180) was originally the 42nd overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2013 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to New Orleans along with Jrue Holiday in exchange for the rights to Nerlens Noel and what turned out to be the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. During the 2014 NBA Draft, Jackson’s rights were traded back to the Sixers in exchange for the rights to Russ Smith, who was the 47th overall pick that year.

The Las Vegas native returned to action this summer, playing for Philadelphia in the NBA Summer League and is currently averaging 12 points while shooting 50% from 3-point range.

During the 2013-14 season, Jackson played for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League and averaged 29.1 points, 6.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He was named a D-League All-Star and scored a league-record 58 points against Texas on Feb. 4, 2014.

Jackson spent his final two collegiate seasons at Baylor, after beginning his career at the College of Southern Idaho. He was named First Team All-Big-12 as a junior and a senior and set a school record with 712 total points in his final season.

The Philadelphia 76ers are on a pretty in-depth rebuilding plan, to the point of drafting a successful point guard in Michael Carter-Williams, only to trade him away because he was good and often very good but not definitely a great. But now there’s another setback. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer blog reporting:

The 7-footer will have a second surgery after the latest setback in the healing of his right foot, according to several NBA sources. The team will decide whether to have it in North Carolina or at the New York Hospital of Special Surgery

“I would say there’s a great possibility that Embiid won’t play next year,” the source said. “Just think how long they sat him when they thought he was healthy.”

The Sixers are planning as if Embiid won’t play this season, sources say. Another source said the franchise is concerned that this setback could be career-threatening.

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that the team has hired Todd Wright as Assistant Coach, Head of Strength and Conditioning. Wright brings with him 21 years of experience and is widely recognized within the field for his ability to develop players using innovative basketball-specific strength and conditioning techniques.

“We feel fortunate to now call Todd Wright a Sixer,” said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie. “His reputation as a trainer of basketball players is second to none. His values and his ability to form genuine, lasting relationships with athletes to help them achieve their goals are both heavily aligned with our organization and with our player development in Philadelphia. When it became clear that the University of Texas was to make a change in their men’s basketball program, I booked a flight to Austin within 10 minutes.”

Prior to joining the Sixers, Wright was the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team for 14 seasons, during which time he supervised the development of 16 players selected in the NBA Draft, six All-Americans and two recipients of the prestigious Wooden Award as the national player of the year. During his 21 years at the collegiate level with the University of Texas and Clemson University, Wright participated in 19 NCAA tournaments, including 17 consecutive appearances between the two schools.

Wright is also a well-respected speaker in the field of strength and conditioning, having presented on the subject of “Vertical Core Training,” which he developed. Many of Wright’s unique training methodologies have been nationally recognized in numerous publications. He is also a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Fellow of Applied Functional Science.

“Our additions of Dr. David T. Martin and Todd Wright are further evidence of our desire to be considered world class in the fields of sport science and athletic performance. Our players invest enormous amounts of time into their individual games and their bodies, and we hope to provide them every opportunity to become strong and resilient, to maximize their playing potential, and to lengthen their careers,” Hinkie said.

Jesse Wright, the Sixers previous Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, was integral in the worldwide search and recruitment of Martin and the recruitment of Todd Wright to join the Sixers. Jesse Wright has been elevated to a newly created performance science position. In his new role, he will work closely with Martin and Todd Wright, with a focus on implementing the newest training, fitness, and recovery initiatives.