Tim Hardaway Sr. Says Philadelphia 76ers 'Need a Point Guard'

Aside from bringing in a new head coach, what will it take for the Philadelphia 76ers' front office to fix the team? Do they need to add more shooters into the mix -- or do the popular thing and split up the star duo that is Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons? Perhaps, they'll need to do both -- but everybody has their own opinions on this one.

Former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway Sr. recently weighed in on the Sixers' current situation as they enter the 2020 offseason after a disappointing round one showing against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.

When talking 76ers, Hardaway Sr. suggested the 76ers need to find a real point guard. Throughout the 2019-2020 season, the Sixers kept rolling with Simmons at the point for the majority of the year.

Once he got injured, shooting guard Shake Milton took over while veteran reserve Raul Neto backed him up. When Simmons came back, the Sixers moved him to power forward, leaving the team without a real starting-caliber playmaking point guard in the NBA bubble down in Orlando.

"I think they need a point guard for when Ben Simmons goes out, they can have a playmaking point guard that can make threes, that can run a team that could make the right plays, just like Ben Simmons," Hardaway Sr. said on Go4It Radio.

"He doesn't have to be 6-foot-9/6-foot 10, he could be 6-foot-2/6-foot-3, but coming off the bench and running a team, the way a point guard runs a team or like Ben Simmons runs a team." Simmons can play point guard, but his lack of a jump shot limits his ceiling at the position. Since the two-time All-Star is versatile enough to play anywhere, the Sixers seem to want to move forward with him at his natural role, which is playing alongside Joel Embiid at power forward.

While many have suggested the Sixers need to choose between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to build around too, Hardaway Sr. isn't sold on that idea either. "I would keep those guys," the former NBA star said. "The talent that they have, it's great." It's not going to be an easy fix for the Sixers moving forward, but it's clear to Hardaway Sr. that surrounding Embiid and Simmons around a real point guard could help a lot.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_