Feb 18, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Bensalem High School student Kevin Grow poses for photos with members of his basketball team at half court during the second quarter of a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Weird Science
One of the complications, and even collateral damage, from all of the roster moves designed to build a better tomorrow that it really hampers players trying to build team chemistry today. That “what’s my role in all of this?” became a talking point of the ex-Washington Huskie in a December 2014 interview.
"“I’m just trying to find my niche,” Wroten said after he attempted just three shots in nearly 30 minutes back in a December 2014 game versus the Memphis Grizzlies. “ … I’m not trying to do anything over what I am supposed to do. So I’ve just got to continue to try to find my way and hopefully things come together. I’m just trying to get back into the rhythm. Obviously, I’m not starting. So you know, I have to get started real quick. … Sometimes coming off the bench is harder than starting because you have to keep the intensity or bring it up some.”"
Wroten’s role is to penetrate, to crash into the lane and score. He also does a good job of stealing the ball, but his job is to shoot near the rim. As you can see, his shot comes as he crashes the boards, and that physical type of game leads to injuries.
shotchart via AustinClemens.com
This is not the first time we’ve discussed Wroten here at The Sixer Sense. An excellent article by Drew Corrigan detailed some of the plays made by Wroten. I really had to raise my eyebrow at the tidbit that when Tony Wroten passed to Robert Covington, Covington’s three point shots had a 61.9% accuracy. On a Sixer team looking for some kind of perimeter shooting, it seems obvious that this connection will be expanded this season.
Next: Silver Lining