Sixers’ Filip Petrusev Will Remain Stashed for Next Season
Daryl Morey changed the narrative about himself on draft night through his first two NBA Drafts with the Philadelphia 76ers. In the past, Morey had a reputation for selling draft picks rather than making selections when he was with the Houston Rockets.
But with his first few picks through two drafts in Philly, Morey brought on several young prospects coming out of college, beginning with the Kentucky standout Tyrese Maxey.
After Maxey was selected 21st overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Morey used two more selections in the second round to land the young sharpshooter Isaiah Joe and the forward/center hybrid, Paul Reed.
After a successful 2020 NBA Draft, Morey stuck to drafting in 2021. In the first round, the Sixers picked up Tennessee youngster Jaden Springer. In the second round, they double-dipped on bigs and grabbed Charles Bassey and the Gonzaga standout Filip Petrusev.
Considering Petrusev was taken before Bassey, it seemed the former had a better chance of gaining an edge over the Lagos-born big man. However, the Sixers had different plans for Petrusev.
Considering the Serbian center already had professional experience playing in Europe, the Sixers intended to stash Petrusev at least for the 2021-2022 season. Therefore, he played on a one-year contract with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Super League.
After wrapping up his lone season in Turkey, Petrusev was once again hopeful to come back to the USA to play for the Sixers. While he garnered playing time in Las Vegas for the Summer League, Petrusev will once again head back overseas to continue playing ball as an NBA stash.
According to EuroHoops.net, Petrusev has signed a deal with Crvena Zvezda, a Serbian-based club. It’s unclear what the future holds for Petrusev as he heads into another season where he won’t be suiting up for the Sixers. But it seems he’s ready and committed to the team whenever they are ready to make the call to bring him over.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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