On the surface, Larry Drew‘s statistics aren’t impressive since being signed to a 10-day contract by the Philadelphia Sixers. The 6’2″ guard is averaging 4.7 points and 4.3 assists per game in six games, averaging 18.6 minutes per game. With 10-day contracts being available, some could imagine that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie would cycle players from the D-League in and out of the organization until they find someone that sticks. By my counts, Larry Drew’s 10-day is up on Monday when the Sixers host the Pelicans. The Sixers have a decision on their hands whether to sign Drew to another 10-day or let him walk in favor of another guard.
Even though his basic statistics haven’t been impressive, anyone that has watched LD2 has been impressed by his play. The ball never sticks to his hands and he’s constantly finding open teammates. Unfortunately for Drew, most of the times his non-NBA caliber teammates aren’t ready for the pass and most of the times it’s either a turnover or a missed shot. His court vision has been impressive for a small guard that just made his NBA debut a week ago.
More from The Sixer Sense
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Sixers Podcast: Danny Green returns + James Harden bombshell
While his defense leaves a lot to be desired — 111.5 defensive rating — Drew does fill the role of a facilitator. The former UCLA guard has an assist percentage of 44.1 percent when he’s on the floor. That numbers is impressive considering the Sixers lead guard, Michael Carter-Williams, has an assist percentage of 42.2. Larry Drew also holds a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio, compared to 1.65 for MCW.
Neither Carter-Williams or Larry Drew have a lot to work with in terms of teammates, but Drew has compiled impressive statistics for playing with mainly the second-unit squad in Philly. In his six games as a Sixer, Drew has four games with four or more assists, including a nine assist, three turnover performance in his second game.
The point guard comes from a big pedigree, being the son of former NBA head coach and current Cavaliers assistant Larry Drew Sr. He’s been involved in the NBA since he was a fetus and it’s been paying dividends with the Sixers. Drew eluded that his upbringing helped him transition to the Sixers (via CSN Philly):
"In fact, Drew says he has been able to pick up on coach Brett Brown’s jargon and playbook quickly because he was around when his dad coached first as an assistant with the Lakers, Pistons, Wizards and Nets before serving as head coach for the Hawks and Bucks."
The initial injury to Tony Wroten opened up the floodgates for Drew to garner playing time and impress the coaches with his passing skills. Now with Wroten being out for the season with an ACL sprain, the Sixers organization might want to take a longer look at LD2. He’s shown the ability to be a pure faciliator, something that can be saluted on a team lacking point guards. Also, Drew is a nice change of pace guard from MCW, who can try to shoot the lights off — and fail — more times than not recently.
All things considered, the Sixers should bring back Larry Drew for another 10-day and see what he can show with more minutes. Remember that NBA clubs can only sign a player to two consecutive 10-day contracts. After that period is over, the team must sign the player for the rest of the season or let them walk. The injury to Wroten makes the need for Drew even more pressing, so it would be a surprise if the Sixers didn’t ink Drew to another 10-day contract.