Philadelphia 76ers: Some TLC in the absence of J.J. Redick

Second-year swingman has stepped up to the plate for the Philadelphia 76ers in the absence of veteran sharpshooter J.J. Redick.

After finishing his debut season with the Philadelphia 76ers on a high note, it’s understandable that Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was looking highly forward to kicking off his second campaign with an emerging Sixers lineup.

Over the final seven games of last season, Luwawu-Cabarrot averaged 18.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 35.0 minutes per game. However, a couple of roadblocks emerged in the offseason that led to the Frenchman enduring some real struggles to commence this season.

Firstly, the Sixers signed veteran sharpshooter J.J. Redick to a one-year to provide much-needed perimeter shooting to a Sixers team that finished 25th in 3-point shooting in 2016-17. As expected, Redick has proved to be an inspired signing, averaging 17.3 points in 32.3 minutes per game — both representing career highs.

Additionally, veteran guard Jerry Bayless finally became healthy after playing just three games in his debut season with the Sixers following season-ending wrist surgery. After playing just three games last season, Bayless has thus far averaged 24.9 minutes over his 35 games played.

However, recent injury setbacks to Redick and Bayless paved the way for Luwawu-Cabarrot to prove to the Sixers, and the league as a whole, that he has much more to offer than has been on display so far this season. In his first 37 games, Luwawu averaged 5.8 points on 37.7 percent shooting from the field in just 15.3 minutes per game.

But as a starter over the past two games, Luwawu-Cabarrot has thrived playing alongside the starting unit. In his first performance, “TLC” provided a terrific complement in posting 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field in 30 minutes of action. Notably, he went 3-of-5 from long range, having shot at just a 30.6 percent clip over his first 37 games.

Following the game, Luwawu-Cabarrot was naturally pleased with his performance:

"“It was a big opportunity for me to show up and step up because J.J. Redick wasn’t here and Jerryd Bayless. So it was a good opportunity for me to play, show up and that’s what I did.”"

Most importantly, Luwawu-Cabarrot’s performance contributed to the Sixers recording a 116-94 win over an undermanned Milwaukee Bucks outfit.

He followed this up two nights later with a season-high 20 points, which featured 17 in the first half. Once again, his efficiency came to the forefront, with Luwawu-Cabarrot hitting 6-of-9 overall, including an outstanding return of 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

Unfortunately for the Sixers, they were unable to capitalize on a 15-point lead late in the third quarter, eventually falling 105-101 to the Memphis Grizzlies.

After the game, a disappointed head coach Brett Brown acknowledged Luwawu-Cabarrot’s performance:

"“I thought Timmy did play well. Maybe we could have got him more involved.”"

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With Redick likely to be sidelined for at least another week, and Bayless questionable for the Sixers’ next game against the Chicago Bulls, Luwawu-Cabarrot has a chance to capitalize on the confidence he has gained from these last two performances and attempt to establish his spot in the rotation once his teammates return from injury.