Sixers Re-Sign Veteran Forward James Ennis
The Philadelphia 76ers might've figured out their starting lineup recently, but building a stable bench up was also a top priority for this offseason. Heading into the 2019 NBA Draft, the Sixers only had a few guys under contract. One of which was a bench player in the young guard, Zhaire Smith. Then, they added two guys through the draft and intended on adding more after spending big in Free Agency.
Well, the Sixers spent big and figured out what they could do with their starting lineup. Now, it's time for them to start finding some valuable depth to come off of the bench. So Philly figured, why not find some players who were already here and are willing to sign cheap and contribute to a significant role as a substitute?
That's when Mike Scott came in to play and inked a two-year deal with the Sixers. And now James Ennis will follow his lead by returning to Philly on a short-term deal. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Sixers are going to bring veteran forward James Ennis back to Philly on a one-year deal. And if everything goes well, there's a second-year player option he can pick up as well for the 2020-2021 season.
James Ennis joined the Sixers during the halfway point of the 2018-2019 season via trade. Before his start with the Sixers, Ennis was coming off of the bench for the Houston Rockets where he averaged just under eight points-per-game in 23 minutes. Being that Ennis was able to start in 25 of his 40 games in Houston, the Sixers figured they could get a decent player at a reasonable cost for their playoff run.
Ennis would play in eighteen games for the Sixers during the regular season, and he averaged 5.3 points-per-game in around 15 minutes of playing time. Once he got comfortable with the Sixers, they felt confident enough to instill him in the playoff gameplan. Ennis upped his game for the Sixers in the postseason by averaging 7.5 points-per-game, and shooting about 48-percent from the floor in 11 games.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN. You can follow Justin on Twitter: @JGrasso_