Philadelphia 76ers: K.J. McDaniels Will Quietly Become Key For Sixers
By Cody Daniel
For those of us who have been unfortunate enough to sit through the collage of electrifying plays and unexplainably terrible stretches of basketball that have made up the Philadelphia 76ers’ 0-3 start to the season, you have a decent idea of who will pan out as an impact player throughout the course of the season.
Of course, there’s Tony Wroten, who’s leading the Sixers in scoring and assists with 19 points and 7.7 assists per game. Nerlens Noel is going to have a clear impact, although not much of it is expected to be on the offensive end. Then you’ve got your surprises like Hollis Thompson and Brandon Davies, who are both averaging 10 points per game thus far.
But a guy who will ultimately become the second or third most pivotal piece on this young roster is the rookie who has done considerably well in some semi-limited minutes in K.J. McDaniels.
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During his first three games, McDaniels has averaged 7.3 points per game on only 5.3 attempts during his 18 minutes a night. These aren’t the numbers that scream impact player, but McDaniels is still feeling his way around the rotation and although he hasn’t been as aggressive as the very inconsistent Sixers’ offense could have taken advantage of, his efficiency with the shots he takes has been pretty exceptional.
In only 16 shots on the season, McDaniels has knocked down eight of them, which, although it’s such a small sample size to consider his .500 shooting percentage mentionable, it also shows how effective the former second round draft pick has been off the bench. McDaniels has hit 3-of-7 from deep thus far as well, which is far from terrible for a guy who is playing only a quarter and a half per game and still finding comfort with his new role in the NBA.
As the season progresses, McDaniels will begin to find himself more and more and head coach Brett Brown’s trust in his will follow suit. As his minutes go up, this walking highlight reel who can score in bunches will start to creep up into double digit scoring and become a huge asset off the bench, which is something desperately lacking in Philadelphia at the moment.
But what will keep McDaniels on the court longer and eventually earn him a role as a starter some time down the road is his ability as a ball-hawking, tenacious defender.
Just take his most recent efforts against the Miami Heat for example. McDaniels had three blocks in 21 minutes and they were blocks that came right around the rim to keep six points off the board. Once his role increases and he understands how to excel as a defender on the NBA level, it’s not out of the question for McDaniels to contend with his running mate, Noel, for who will be the most feared shot blocker on the Sixers.
Most importantly though, is the roster McDaniels is on and the talent level that surrounds him. From a sheer talent standpoint, it’s arguable that he’s already in the top five on the team, even when everyone is healthy. With such a great player development coach in Brown, the only thing that’s keeping McDaniels from becoming one of the league’s most explosive threats around the rim and a widely feared defender is simply experience.
Some day soon, McDaniels is going to become a very notable talent. He’s shown glimpses of his potential during college, the NBA Summer League and his initial entrance to the NBA. Remember when McDaniels signed only a one-year deal with the Sixers during the offseason because he wanted to prove he’s worth much more than that? He still has 79 games left in his contract and this will be more than enough time to prove he’s worth a much heftier check as a key piece of the franchise.