Philadelphia 76ers’ general manager Sam Hinkie is all about stocking up on future assets and snagging the best available talent, which, during this rebuild in Philly will come through the NBA Draft. To this point, he’s drafted a handful of guys who could all prove to fill that role down the road in reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams, rookie by injury, Nerlens Noel, the recovering Joel Embiid, and the overseas jewel, Dario Saric.
But there’s far from any guarantee that any of these key pieces will even remain in Philly for the long-haul, much less, become the star management and The City of Brotherly Love so desperately crave, which could lead to the question of whether or not a guy who’s arguably the Sixers’ best player at this point — Tony Wroten — can become the main man in Philly?
For quite a few reasons, I believe the answer to be yes.
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Just as there’s the potential for each of the Sixers’ four prized draft selections to become stars down the road, there’s the possibility that most, if not all of them never live up to that potential if they’re not shipped off.
Yes, MCW had a tremendous rookie year en route to a ROY award and many thought that he should have actually been the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. But he’s also shown that he’s an absolutely terrible shooter and the league’s worst when it comes to protecting the ball, with 4.8 turnovers per game. The shooting isn’t as much of an issue, as MCW is a pass-first point guard on a team that requires him to score consistently to remain competitive. He’s shown he has the ability to at least be the point guard of the future, but there are still several question marks as to whether or not he will ever be more than a solid starter.
Noel has shown signs of tremendous potential as a defender, and the ability to snag double-digit rebounds on a nightly basis is something that could keep him around as a starter for the Sixers down the road, but the biggest question surrounding the box-top sensation comes with his offense, which could be a reason Hinkie potentially deals Noel for more assets if he can get his hands on Duke’s freshman phenom, Jahlil Okafor.
Then there’s the complete mystery surrounding the futures of Embiid and Saric. Embiid could very easily become the best center the league has to offer in a few years if he can remain healthy and live up to his overwhelming potential, but that’s a huge if for a guy who didn’t become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft due to a fractured foot and prior back issues. We know Saric is an outstanding European talent, but there’s absolutely no answers as to how good he will be in the NBA, although, with his skill-set, it’s unlikely he will ever actually develop into being a star.
And then there’s Wroten.
The Sixers’ current scoring leader at 16.7 points per game has shown signs of complete control, just as he’s shown the lack thereof at times, which, is in large what gained him the nickname “the wrecking ball.” But this is to be expected with such a young talent. Wroten is only in his third season in the NBA at 21 years old, which, if he were to remain in college, he’d be a senior and unquestionably a top three pick in the upcoming draft.
Through his 22 games this season, Wroten has scored at least 15 points 14 times, which includes surpassing the 20-point mark nine times. These aren’t necessarily the most convincing numbers when discussing a guy who could become a star, but just compare Wroten’s third season numbers of 16.7 points, 5.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game to those of Steph Curry’s third season, in which he averaged 14.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.4 points.
This isn’t, by any means, meant to compare Wroten to Curry, as that would simply be unfair and inaccurate. But this does show that, at least from a production standpoint, Wroten is doing some things right thus far.
But where Wroten’s potential begins to be even more appealing comes with the vast room for improvement he has, along with the aggressive, “let me take over” type of offensive mentality he possesses, which is arguably the most important feature.
This season, Wroten is shooting 41.7 percent from the field on 13.7 attempts per game, which shows his willingness to put shots up. And if you’ve actually followed Wroten’s career, you can see in his aggressive, score-first play style that’s evident on a nightly basis. You can’t someday become a star if you don’t want to put a team on your back and carry them in times of need, and that’s something Wroten has shown the ability to do quite often in Philly. Additionally, Wroten is a very exceptional facilitator, which is something that gives him the confidence to run both guard positions without skipping a beat.
And just as you would know if you have seen Wroten play on a consistent basis that he’s a fearless scorer and solid distributor, you would also know there’s tremendous room for improvement. Wroten is far from being a good shooter. In fact, he’s actually a pretty terrible jump shooter, as he’s failed to knock down a single jump shot between 10 feet and the arc. From beyond the three-point line, Wroten is shooting a horrible 28.4 percent.
Along with this shooting weakness is his inability to go to his right consistently and the usual missed layup that comes as a result of his reckless abandon when attacking the basket. But although these are some glaring weaknesses, they speak to how dominant Wroten could become if he learned to hit a few of those jumpers and began to utilize his right hand.
As it stands now, Wroten is, at the very least, a valuable offensive weapon that could play a Jamal Crawford-like role for the Sixers, but as crazy as it may sound, he could end up being their most valuable piece. Between injuries and some considerable weaknesses among their other expected cornerstones, there’s absolutely no answer as to who will end up becoming the star in Philly, but based on his numbers and play style, the possibility is certainly there that Wroten could be that guy.