Five Players To Be Excited About Watching In 2015-16

Jan 16, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Young Philadelphia 76ers fans waves their arms for a t-shirt toss before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

I’m extremely excited for the Philadelphia 76ers this year. Despite coming off of a season with just 18 wins and a 22% win percentage, things look promising for the future. Sure, maybe this year, things won’t be at a point where the more casual fans are tuning in, but it looks like things are on the upside for the 76ers.

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Although some “trust the process,” and some do not, us Sixers fans are in it for the long haul. This offseason has brought in a slew of new players, and I’m excited to see some of them play as Sixers. With Sam Hinkie’s way of doing things, it’s possible some of them will be shipped out sooner than later, but still, I’m excited to see them.

Moreover, we have a lottery pick — who will actually play this season — to be excited about. Sure, getting excited about a draft pick is often an upside of being a bad team, but we have to take what we can get, right?

And lastly, there’s players who were with the team previously, who are certainly expected to be good. Several players have lots of potential in the environment the Sixers have created, and can continue to grow.

So, without more fluff talk of what we can be excited about, let’s get into it, and look at five Sixers you should be excited about watching next season.

Next: Nik Stauskas

April 5, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nik Stauskas (10) shoots the basketball against Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker (33) during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

First off is Nik Stauskas, otherwise known as Sauce Castillo. Stauskas is entering his second year in the NBA, with a lot to prove. His first year with the Sacramento Kings was not what it was expected to be. So much so, that the Kings felt like getting rid of his salary was a good move for them.

Well, one team’s trash is another team’s treasure, I suppose. Although Stauskas didn’t work out in Sacramento, I think the Sixers environment is one that will allow him to grow. Filled with other young talent looking to grow into developed NBA players, Stauskas is going to be working around players with similar situations to him.

The Sixers have been seen around the NBA as an “Island of Misfit a Toys,” of sorts, and Sauce is one of those toys right now.

This alone gets me excited to see what he can do. As he’s expected to start, with something to prove, I’m looking for him to score plenty compared to last year, and really find his grove.

Stauskas was only given 15 minutes per game last year, which I feel was part of the issue. His points per 38 minutes were drastically better compared to his per game stats.

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Is Stauskas an emerging star in this league? Certainly not yet. But, with the help of some other “lower grade” NBA players around him also looking to make themselves known, I think it could definitely do his growth well.

As for right now, Stauskas can easily turn himself into a crucial piece of the Sixers rebuild. Unfortunately for him, that could mean much more than being just a starter in Philly. Stauskas being “valuable” to the process means he could end up being a pawn in a trade. With no games played in Philly yet, and no real ties to the city, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was part of a deal at the trade deadline or another point throughout the season, unless he truly makes a huge impact on the team right away.

After scoring over 17 points per game with Michigan in his final year at college, it was surely disappointing to see him fail to break five points per game in his debut season. I’m expecting him to average 8.5 points per game, with four assists per game, at the bare minimum.

Next: Nerlens Noel

Apr 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) dribbles against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Wizards won 119-90. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

How about a hand for Nerlens Noel? He averaged just under 10 points per game last season, and that’s an impressive statistic for a rookie. I can’t help but get excited about the potential Noel has. His offense was good, as mentioned earlier, but his defense was the real shining of Noel’s rookie year, with 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals, forcing a grand total of nearly four turnovers per game.

While some players can be seen as expendable, and possibly just faceless, moveable pieces to the rebuild, Noel has made it clear he’s in it for the long haul. This season isn’t a first page to the Noel book, but that’s no reason to not get excited. The beginning of his career was one that hooked us, and now he’s got to sell himself as a player, and show us he can be a decent player for more than just one season.

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One thing that may end up making that tougher is the addition to the front court, Jahlil Okafor. Their first round draft pick has high expectations, and certainly is expected to be a large part of the offense. Balancing things between Noel and Okafor could be tough at first, especially offensively since we’re expecting a majority of plays to involve Okafor one way or another.

Due to this, I think Noel needs to either make it clear that he’s not just a supporting player offensively, or really focus on defense and start becoming an even bigger shut down defender.

Still, I’m excited to see the two of them play together and hope they don’t clash. I’m hoping they mesh and can balance their skill sets to become one of the most dangerous starting front courts in the NBA. They still need a cool nickname.

With the addition of Jahlil to the offense, I’m expecting Noel to float right around eight points per game, but focus more on defense than last year. I’m expecting him to get five turnovers a game.

Next: Robert Covington

Apr 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) protects the ball as he drives past Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Covington is another one of those misfit toys finding his way with the troubled Sixers. Even so, we’re happy to have him, especially with how he caught our eye last year.

Covington offered 13.5 points per game, something the Sixers need more of on the offensive side of the ball. The team struggled as a whole with scoring last year, and Covington was one of he forced pushing to change that.

Covington only started in about half of the team’s game last season. It looks like it’s his time to shine, and his time to get some more starts, which will obviously open up windows for him.

That nearly ten minute long highlight video has ten minutes of Covington gold, but you don’t need to watch any further than the first play shown to get a taste of what Covington showed us last year. Sometimes, you just can’t show things with statistics, and the fun style of play Covington gives us isn’t really a number we can flash on a screen (besides a 10 in a slam dunk competition). Covington can power through the lane well despite contact, and make himself open for lobs and layups.

Working lobs for dunks that are fun to watch is just one of the qualities that makes Covington an exciting player for next season. His three point game, where he shot 37.4% from last season, is something to get excited about, because that was an improvement from last season. If he can keep getting that better, and pushing that closer to 40%, he could quickly become the Sixers version of Kyle Korver.

He’s also a pretty decent catch-and-shoot guy from beyond the arc, which is good to have.

One last thing that should get us excited about Covington is his youth, and all the time he has to grow as a player. Last year was his second year in the league, but he only played a grand total of 34 minutes in his rookie year. He made a huge splash with his first opportunity at minutes, and is deserving of even more this season. I can’t wait to see what Covington grows into.

Next: Tony Wroten

Jan 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tony Wroten (8) shoots in front of the defense of Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Wroten, although listed as a shooting guard, has been involved in the conversation as a potential starter in the point guard slot. The transition from one guard to another shouldn’t be difficult, and it’s something that both Wroten, and the team would benefit from.

While others like different players as the point guard starter — Isaiah Cannan, Ish Smith, etc. Wroten seems to do more with his time.

Wroten Per 36 Minutes

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Ish Smith Per 36 Minutes

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Isaiah Canaan Per 36 Minutes

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Clearly shown, per 36 minutes, Wroten makes the most of his time.

Shooting at above 40% last season, Wroten’s shot impressed me, but his three point percentage was lacking at just 26.1%. All throughout his career it’s seemed to have been like this for Wroten, and I would like to see an improvement here.

If he could make himself a threat from both the two point zone, as well as from behind the three point line, he could be even more exciting to watch, as he becomes a versatile offensive tool that’s tougher to guard with more range. I’d love to see him become a three point master.

Coming off of a season with under 30% three point shooting, we probably can’t expect him to be too exciting from the three point line, but down the road, it’s something to look for, and this could be the first year he shows some more attention to his deep shot.

Operating under the assumption (a very very loose assumption) that Wroten starts as a guard, we could see him teetering on the edge of 20 points per game. Any player projected to get around 20 points per game that’s a Sixer certainly excites me.

Next: Jahlil Okafor

Nov 26, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) goes up to block the shot of Furman Paladins guard John Davis III (1) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Jahlil Okafor is our last player to look at here. This last one is obvious. Why wouldn’t there be excitement surrounding the third overall pick in the NBA draft? Especially in his first few weeks, fans will be eager to see what he can do and how he can help turn this team around.

He did well in college, leading the Duke Blue Devils to a national championship in just his first year at the school. While I typically am a fan of players staying longer in school, Jah seems ready to move on, and ready to take on the role of an NBA player. I do have my doubts about him being a right away leader, but that doesn’t mean I’m not excited to see him play.

His 17.3 points per game will be tough to replicate in the NBA. Although there’s more time in every game, it’s extremely hard to do much above 15 points per game as a rookie in the NBA. Some players have a tough time transitioning from college to the NBA, especially on offense.

Another area I’m eager to see from Jahlil is his defense. He was highly criticized in college about his defensive mindset, which often came off as lazy. When it would’ve been easy for Okafor to jump and contest shots, or move around a bit more to make it more difficult for opposing teams to run their offense, he seemed to lazily stay around the same spot.

Sure, Okafor is coming in with his flaws, but so is any rookie. We’re happy to have him on the team, and we’re excited to see what he can do to help contribute to this rebuild. If anything, his powerful offense will be a great attribute of the team next year, something to get our hopes up for.

Next: Were The Sixers Snubbed By Team USA?

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