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76ers’ Nik Stauskas Now Has Ultimate Playing Freedom

By Jake Hyman

April 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nik Stauskas (10) dribbles the basketball during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena. The Pelicans defeated the Kings 101-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nik Stauskas (10) dribbles the basketball during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Sleep Train Arena. The Pelicans defeated the Kings 101-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rookies show glimpses of promise in a league testing their fortitude and adaptability from the start. For Nik Stauskas, the NBA got to the Michigan product like an infestation he’s currently trying to shed. His premier trait (shooting) failed to translate, which has plagued plenty entering a league with bigger and tougher defenders on the perimeter and at the rim.

Sacramento’s little patience for Stauskas to reacquire the skill led to him being dealt across the country. On a team predicated on patience and player development, there might not have been a better fit at SG than the Canadian for the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the complete obscurity and lack of production from the position in recent years, Stauskas is entrenched in the starting gig from day one. It’s appropriate when your predecessors finish a combined 26th in field goal percentage and three-point percentage at the position. There’s one trait tied to Stauskas since being drafted No. 8 in the 2014 Draft: upside.

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Neither Hollis Thompson nor Jakarr Sampson have the promise that Stauskas embodied as a dynamic scorer coming out of college. Thompson might be a marksman, but until he can consistently attack off the dribble and create for himself, his ceiling remains a couple floors lower than the new addition. Sampson is fun, but erratic tendencies render his potential to a lower tier. Both correlated to the lacking production last year from the two guard spot.

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    • Upside is a key and contributing factor for Stauskas’ ascension while bypassing others in the Sixers’ rotation. The driving force behind the promise exuded is Stauskas’ ability to be a plus shooter at maturity while creating offense for himself and his teammates.

    He hasn’t shown the ability do either consistently, but in just his second professional season, the opportunity for growth is expected. His struggles last season have been harped upon consistently and were the result of playing through the toxicity of the 2014-15 Sacramento Kings.

    Twelve players received more minutes per game last season in Sac Town. The pendulum swing and uptick in minutes playing for the Sixers will foster a more accurate gauge of what Stauskas is capable of.

    If Stauskas is going to flash potential, Brett Brown’s rotational tendencies have to change in the process. The Sixers starters saw the floor only 28.8 minutes per game, on average, which ranked 28th in the league. It wasn’t a product of most of their projected rotation as Stauskas and Jahlil Okafor are new members of a more talented starting five. Wroten started only 15 games as an ACL tear limited him in his third NBA season.

    Brown was searching all over the roster for an offensive spark plug. Hinkie’s given him one of the draft’s elite scorers regardless of position in Okafor. “Jah” is also paramount in Stauskas’ first year in Philly. Okafor is universally known for his transcendent post game and footwork, but also can see the open floor masterfully in the paint. While getting a more rounded point guard in the draft would have boosted production from many aspects in the offense, Okafor is a different breed down low.

    "“Man he’s talented; he’s really, really talented,” said Stauskas per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Cooney, dreaming of kickouts for open threes. “I was saying to some of the guys on the bench that what he does you really can’t teach. There are big men that either have it or they don’t and he has it – the footwork, the feel for the game, everything. I’m definitely excited to go out there and play with him.”"

    Stauskas has the green light to launch, but Okafor’s innate ability to draw in defenders will open up the floor for him and other perimeter threats.

    Stauskas took as many three-point attempts as he did shots inside the arc last season while 40 percent of his shots came from the catch-and-shoot variety, per SportVU. Those looks are expected to skyrocket next season as Brown looks for his quintessential ace.

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    Wroten also positively impacts Stauskas’ outlook and projections for next season as a playmaking combo guard. The former first-round pick is the returning leader in points created by assists per game (12.4), assists per game (5.1), and team points per game on drives (11.2).

    Like Wroten, Stauskas’ wide margin for error is tied to the ability to create offense and make Brown’s job simpler. The third-year head coach gave the most minutes to three former first-round picks last season in Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams and Wroten.

    Brett Brown clamored for the Mississauga native in the 2014 draft. Now Stauskas is trying to show his head coach how he can positively impact his team year one, per Cooney:

    "“It’s great that he likes my game and that he has confidence in me,” said Stauskas, selected by the Kings with the eighth pick. “I can prove him right and come in this year and produce the way he wants me to.”"

    Stauskas also comes with no baggage as a hard working player whose bright personality is infectious. He’s a mix of both Wroten and Robert Covington on the court. Like Wroten, he can take it to the basket using his 6’6″, 205-pound frame and he is capable of knocking down triples on the level of Covington.

    Many aspects play in to Brett Brown giving Stauskas plenty of repetition in game time situations. The upside, faith in his abilities and cohesion with other starters paint the picture of the SG being an integral piece not just in his sophomore season, but for multiple years. Stauskas is not only starting, seemingly, for the Sixers opening night, but will be playing with freedom on a team willing to let him grow.

    Next: Miami Heat: Grading The Offseason

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