Philadelphia 76ers: What Does The Future Hold For Nik Stauskas?

In theory, Nik Stauskas should be the perfect spot-up shooting sidekick for Ben Simmons on the Philadelphia 76ers, but if his play in the NBA thus far is of any indication, Sauce Castillo is not the man we all thought he was.

Nik Stauskas is supposed to be different.

Coming into the 2014 NBA Draft, the man who is now more known for a close captioning error rather than his on-court play was billed as that rare dead-eye spot-up shooter who could comfortably put the ball on deck, run pick-and-rolls, and occasionally pack one with conviction at-the-rim.

Fast forward to present day, however, Stauskas — who is entering his third season as a pro — faces a murky immediate future.

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More specifically, he simply hasn’t shown enough, both as a player and as a prospect, to merit the Philadelphia 76ers to pick up his third-year team option this upcoming season, especially since the opportunity cost for the Sixers ($3.8 million, as the eighth pick of the 2014 draft) outweighs his middling production on the floor.

At this point, with the offseason additions of Gerald Henderson and Jerryd Bayless — both of whom are best suited at the 2 — as well as a slew of other talented prospects at the wings, such as Hollis Thompson, Robert Covington and Jerami Grant, Stauskas looks to be the odd man out of the Sixers’ rotation.

So, what exactly has been the problem for Sauce Castillo?

Billed as a lights-out shooter, Stauskas has failed to live up to his pre-draft reputation. On a team deprived of outside shooting last season, Nik only managed to earn just 24 minutes a contest while shooting a mundane 32 percent from beyond the arc.

He’ll give glimpses of what made him such a cult favorite as a member of the Michigan Wolverines as a rising sophomore — just ask Myles Turner if a Sauce facial helped his complexion — but for the most part, he drifts from three-point line to three-point line, without much of a motor or presence.

To make matters worse, while he certainly tries to D up his opposition, he is most often times overmatched by the athleticism of NBA-caliber wings on that end the floor.

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For Stauskas, who’ll turn 23 this upcoming October, he’ll be fighting for his NBA life in training camp.

What is the point of keeping a rather undeveloped 23 year-old veteran over a bouncy, 3-and-D rookie wing like Timothe Luwawu?

His NBA Summer League performance certainly didn’t help his standing either. As a third-year player, you’re supposed to dominate SL play. But for Nik, he struggled to find open looks, and in the rare occasion he did wiggle loose, he looked incredibly nervous, and rushed most of his bricked shots.

Without a doubt, the Philadelphia 76ers are entering into a new era.

Led by their prized No. 1 overall pick, Ben Simmons, an ultra-athletic point forward equipped with a Magic Johnson brand of clairvoyant court vision, Philly would be wise to stock their roster with an army of 3-and-D wings.

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In theory, Nik Stauskas should fit such a role, but if his play in the NBA thus far is of any indication, Sauce Castillo is not the man we all thought he was.