LeBron can only help Sixers if Embiid, Simmons help themselves

Let's end the debate now: The 76ers need a star like LeBron James, and they should do everything they can to throw the $40 million per year that it might take to sign him.

That was the case even before the Celtics exposed every flaw, every weakness in the way the Sixers are currently constructed. Those flaws were masked during a better than expected regular season and a first-round win over the Miami Heat, a discombobulated team that couldn't match the Sixers' firepower.

The Celtics can match the Sixers, and did, as they demonstrated over the course of eliminating the Sixers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. That was evident in the Sixers' 114-112 series-clinching loss in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

And that's not going to change unless the Sixers change. 

After all, the Celtics as a whole are a younger team than the Sixers — and they're missing their two best players in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries.

So, yes, get LeBron, or Oklahoma City's Paul George, or trade for San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard. But keep in mind, even with one of those stars, the Sixers aren't winning a championship unless the players they already have get better, too.

And we're talking a lot better.

It's easy to see what's needed.

Ben Simmons needs a jump shot, and the Sixers won't win unless he gets one. He had a great rookie season, and has the potential to be one of the best players in the NBA. 

But the Celtics exposed him. They backed off, daring him to drive past them. Sometimes he did, but more often he was thwarted. Other teams tried this strategy, too, but the opponents weren't good enough to stop Simmons' drives. The Celtics were. The elite teams in the West like Golden State and Houston can do it, too.

"There is a lot of room for improvement," Simmons told reporters Thursday. “I think offensively it’s going to be tough to stop me [with a jump shot]. I think it’s going to be scary.”

If Simmons isn't hoisting hundreds of jump shots every day in a gym over the summer, then there is something wrong. Consider that in the 10 postseason games, Simmons attempted 125 shots. But he tried just 15 between 10 and 19 feet. He only made four of them.

Joel Embiid needs to get in shape. In fairness, he has never had an offseason when he wasn't recovering from some sort of major injury. That won't be the case this summer. He was noticeably tired during this series, and that affected his ability to finish near the basket (see the Sixers' possession in the final seconds when he missed twice from in close).

It also affected him on defense.

So spend the summer in the weight room, ride a bike, run a marathon, anything to improve the cardio.

Sixers coach Brett Brown mentioned often in the latter part of the season that Embiid didn't practice because he wanted to save his strength for the playoffs.

That has to change.

All of that leads us to the mysterious case of Markelle Fultz. 

The Sixers traded up to draft Fultz first in the draft last summer because he was the combo guard who could play both alongside and in place of Simmons. He could shoot, he could pass and he could get to the rim.

That explains why the Sixers liked him better than Boston's Jayson Tatum, whom the Celtics drafted third after switching spots with the Sixers.

Tatum, of course, was arguably the best player on the court in the series while Fultz never left the bench. 

It is well known that last summer Fultz either had a bad shoulder because he changed his shot, or he changed his shot because he had a bad shoulder. Either way, Fultz's confidence was shot, and he missed 68 games before returning for the final 10 of the regular season.

Even when Fultz returned, he wasn't confident in his outside shot. Neither was Simmons. Neither made a single 3-pointer all season, including playoffs. Simmons was 0-for-12, Fultz 0-for-1. That's unheard of for two guards.

That meant J.J. Redick had to be the shooter, and he's a good one. But he's not a good defender and that exposed the Sixers at the other end. It was the same way when Marco Belinelli was in the game.

Sure, a star like James, George or Leonard can make a difference in that regard because they are all good outside shooters and defenders. But Simmons will be the one with the ball in his hands for most of the game. If there's no threat of a shot, then it'll be more difficult for whoever the shooter is to get open.

The Sixers' season was better than anyone could have expected. But they still didn't get any farther than they did in 2012, when they lost to the Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

This team has a lot more potential than that team had. But only if the young stars like Simmons and Embiid continue to evolve, and Fultz can become a major contributor. Only then could a player like James, George or Leonard get them over the top.

"I think the bar is at a new level," backup point guard T.J. McConnell said Thursday. "We have to have a big summer for all of us, get in the gym, and get ready to go for next year.”

The sooner, the better.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.

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