By now, you’ve probably heard the news that the Philadelphia 76ers have called Drew Gordon — who played for the Sixers throughout the preseason and performed exceptionally well – up from their D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers.
This doesn’t seem as major news considering Gordon did get called up from the D-League, which usually points to the player having an inability to contribute effectively enough at the NBA level, but in reality, this is some great news for the Sixers’ faithful.
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Throughout the first couple of weeks this season, the most apparent weakness in an already talent-deprived Sixers’ roster comes when looking at the front court. Henry Sims fills a starting role moderately and Nerlens Noel has been fun to watch, although, he’s far from a game changer yet.
Then there’s Brandon Davies, who has become a pleasant surprise as he’s averaging 10.3 points per game. But outside of those three, there’s practically no post presence for the Sixers, who have resorted to relying upon JaKarr Sampson as of late, which hasn’t boded much success.
This is where Gordon will come in handy.
The Sixers had to waive Malcolm Thomas in order to bring Gordon aboard, which was to be expected after he’s missed the last few games and expected to miss several more with fluid buildup in his left knee. So who’s been that fourth option in the post as of late? The incredibly unproductive and inefficient Sampson.
Through seven games with 10.9 minutes of court time each, Sampson has accrued a shooting percentage of 19 percent, which is absolutely horrid, even for the Sixers. He’s made almost no contribution on the boards with only 1.9 rebounds per game and stands alone as the only Sixer with a negative player efficiency rating of -0.5.
As for Gordon, he’s shown glimpses of his potential as a rebounder and willingness to battle down low for those rebounds and second chance points, which is something the Sixers have desperately lacked thus far, especially when Sims and Noel are on the bench.
If Gordon can come in and even provide the consistency and effort that made him so effective during his elongated journey to an NBA roster, it will be a tremendous upgrade from the options the Sixers have at this point once they have to look down the bench.
Don’t expect Gordon to come in and become the savior in the paint for the Sixers because that guy is still healing from a fractured foot, but his extra two or three baskets and handful of rebounds will ultimately make a huge difference in games, which could have been the difference between having a couple wins up to this point.
Gordon will make his debut Thursday against the Mavericks; the same day Noel returns from a sprained ankle and Michael Carter-Williams makes his season debut as well.
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