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Philadelphia 76ers: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot picks up where he left off

By Simon Smith

TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK - AUGUST 07: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers poses for a portrait during the 2016 NBA Rookie Photoshoot at Madison Square Garden Training Center on August 7, 2016 in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK - AUGUST 07: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers poses for a portrait during the 2016 NBA Rookie Photoshoot at Madison Square Garden Training Center on August 7, 2016 in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their NBA Summer League proceedings with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot continuing the fine form of his rookie season.

The July 4 weekend saw the start of NBA Summer League action, and it was in Salt Lake City that the Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their campaign against the Boston Celtics. With the teams involved recently in a pre-draft trade, all attention was focused on the two future stars involved in the transaction — the Sixers’ Markelle Fultz, and the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.

But it was a lesser-light shining out for the Sixers that will be highly encouraging for head coach Brett Brown and his staff moving forward. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, selected No. 24 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, had a slow start to his rookie campaign, taking a backseat to the existing players on the roster.

However, when some key rotation players went down late in the season, Luwawu-Cabarrot made the most of his opportunity. Over the final seven games of the season, the French product averaged 18.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals in 35.0 minutes per game.

Just prior to this seven game stretch, coach Brown noted:

"“I feel the thing that I was most attracted to was his competitiveness and athleticism….When you watch him catch and shoot, it has a real good chance of going in. His ability to create straight-line drives by himself is elite. He can get to the rim by himself. In a halfcourt game, that stands out. He can run, he’s a flier. We all knew that. But the halfcourt part of making threes, doing something with the motion we’re running and finding a gap in the lane, he’s gotten better.“When he hears me talk for a year about the defensive stuff, that’s where he really is going to separate himself. There is a comfort level with me and it lets him play with more freedom. It’s just a hybrid of all those things. That’s where he is now.”"

Recently, in the lead up to the Summer League, Luwawu-Cabarrot relayed his expectations for the offseason tournament:

"“All the guys when they come to Summer League, they try to show themselves. They over pressure themselves to be the guy, so the intensity was hard. I want to come here and play and be free and score points — just run the court. And I want to bring the leadership and get some more experience too.”"

And in the first game of the Summer League, Luwawu-Cabarrot didn’t disappoint. Playing 32 minutes, the second-year swingman posted 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists while being a +12 while on the floor. The main downside, hitting just 1-of-9 from downtown, was noticeable, and is an area he will need to address having shot just a 31.1 percent clip in his debut season.

Although his shooting from deep was a blemish, the other areas of his game clearly didn’t suffer. Luwawu-Cabarrot’s increasingly ability to combine his terrific athleticism with his basketball smarts was clearly on the mark. As Josh Lloyd, host of the Locked On Fantasy Basketball podcast, noted from the stands:

Looking ahead to the 2017-18 regular season, the battle for regular minutes, and a spot in the rotation is going to be a battle for a number of players. Presently, Luwawu-Cabarrot is competing with the likes of Ben Simmons, Robert Covington, J.J. Redick, Nik Stauskas and Justin Anderson for minutes at the 2 and 3 spots.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers - 4 signs Trusting the Process is paying off

In the meantime, Luwawu-Cabarrot will use his chance to excel in the Sixers’ Summer League to expand his game, and prepare to attack his second season in the league.