Why Hasn’t Anyone Simply Written About Sixer Wroten Recently?

Sep 28, 2013; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Dr. James Andrews watches the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi Rebels game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Wroten’s ACL Has A Silver Lining

So what type of role is shaping up for Wroten this season?  It’s clear that he matches well when he and Covington take the floor together.  But when George Kondoleon and Patrick Koerbler debated the Sixers starting roster this year, neither had a starting role for Wroten.   The reasons are complex.  Wroten’s style of rushing the hoop is a physical game, and draws plenty of fouls.  Despite injuries and sharing time, he has had 506 shot opportunities from the free throw line, but translated only 329 of those into points.  If he had been in the top 40 in shooting from the free throw line, that would have generated another 106 points, adding a full 1 PPG to his scoring average.

The team has some difficult decisions to make.   With the arrival of Jahlil Okafor to pair with Nerlens Noel, the Sixers appear to have some big bodies to post down low.   Can a penetrating Wroten flip the ball out to a waiting Covington to sink a high percentage three pointer?  If that’s the package, that’s a helluva combination.

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The likely scenarios, at this point in time, will likely not have Wroten as the long term starter at point guard.  We’ve discussed how the team has parted ways with players who were the most egregious perpetrators of turning the ball over. Wroten is the leader of that statistic remaining on the Sixers roster.  But the dynamics of the team have changed in a year.  With the arrival of Jahlil Okafor, the Sixers now can set up the pair of Noel and Okafor deep, and focus on perimeter.   In that offense, a penetrating Wroten would be better suited to feed the ball to the arc.  If he and Covington can duplicate that accuracy, that will be a deadly play.

The arrival of Pappy Jack and Nik Stauskas gives the Sixers options.  Last season was a wake up call for Tony Wroten.  If  he can tweak his game, drastically improve his free throw percentage, he will have a longer NBA career, and will better fit what the team now needs.