The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Breaking Down the Latest From The Sixers Point Guard Saga

By Dalton Lanoza

facebooktwitterreddit

Here’s the latest on the Philadelphia 76ers point guard situation.

Score one for the underdog.

Monday was a dark day for plenty of young hopefuls around the NBA as regular season roster cuts were upon us all. No team had a busier day when it came to crushing dreams than the Philadelphia 76ers. With 5 cuts to make before this evenings deadline, it was presumed that about 7 guys had a chance to be a part of the unfortunate process. When the dust cleared, the 5 players waived were as followed; Pierre Jackson, Furkan Aldemir, Scottie Wilbekin, J.P. Tokoto, and Jordan McRae. Leaving Christian Wood, and T.J. McConnell as the survivors from the chopping block.

There were no real surprises with these moves, but that’s not to say I think the decisions were easy. Perhaps the toughest decision made today for Sam Hinkie was the choice of which point guard to keep as the team’s fourth floor general behind Tony Wroten, Kendall Marshall, and Isaiah Canaan.

More from The Sixer Sense

Each of the three point guards (McConnell, Jackson, and Wilbekin) had a legitimate chance to make the team at the start of this preseason, but it was McConnell who stood out over the past few weeks the most. His passing ability has been on full display over these seven games as he led the team with 4.8 assists per game. We got to see a myriad of instances where McConnell has showcased great court vision, something the Sixers need from their point guards trying to get the ball inside to Okafor and Noel.

Time and time again T.J. hushed his doubters with hustle. I honestly think he rivals Jakarr Sampson’s effort on the court, and that is really saying something. Every 50-50 ball seemed to end up in McConnell’s hands. His defense also noticeably improved which Brett Brown surely loved, helping his case. McConnell compiled 2.2 steals per game only trailing the defensive monster Noel (3.3) for most on the team over the course of the Sixers’ 7 exhibition games.

So did T.J. beat out the other two the whole way, or did Jackson, and Wilbekin hurt their chances? When it comes to Wilbekin, I I just think he lost his way this month. That’s not to say there weren’t some positives for him though. He had a buzzer beater in the second game vs. the Cavs back on the 9th. and did manage to put up a total of 50 points in 5 games with an impressive 62.2 EFG. His issues came when he looked lost in offensive sets, as well as on defense. The Sixers already have Isaiah Canaan jacking up threes, and looking rough everywhere else, so my guess would be that the Sixers were looking for a more well-rounded player to complete the point guard rotation.

I had extremely high hopes for Pierre this season because I’ve seen what he can do on the court. Unfortunately for Jackson, getting onto the court was the problem with him being plagued by injuries all summer. He originally was coming off of a torn achilles that kept him out all last season, but what got overlooked was the groin injury that has nagged him ever since the Summer League. Pierre never looked even close to 100% in any of the three preseason games he appeared in, and with so much competition at his position, things just weren’t going his way.

Jackson’s #THEYSLEEP movement will be put on hold for now, but I’m in full agreement with brand new Liberty Ballers contributor Max Rappaport in terms of the fact that I’d love to see Jackson stick around with the 87ers just because I’m aware of his potential. Despite that, I’d imagine he will try his luck at making another NBA team if possible considering he’s proven himself in the D-League before. Playing overseas is another possibility for the freakish athlete if he gets interest, and wants to go that route, something he has done in the past. It’s tough for me to say this considering I had him ranked all the way at #2 in my Sixers point guard rankings before camp, but it seems that Pierre Jackson, his fresh shoe game, and his exciting dunks have officially left the building.

So whether T.J. McConnell beat out both guys solely by himself, or with a little help you can guarantee he is ecstatic and rightfully so. Undrafted this year despite being a very effective facilitator for guys like Stanley Johnson, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at Arizona, McConnell clearly had GMs fooled going into July. Fast forward and now his future as a serious contributor for this team looks bright because Wroten and Marshall are still out for at least the first few games. You can bet that McConnel will see solid minutes early on this season.

I’d like to see him beat out Canaan for the starting job until Marshall returns to see if he can carry over his success to the games that matter. Can he keep this up against the John Wall‘s, and Kyle Lowry‘s of the East when everyone has a regular season mindset going? Not sure I can keep doubting this dude.

Let me know in the comments section where you think McConnell will be on the depth chart around the time of the All-Star break. What kind of ceiling do you see him having? Can he become an every night starter in the future? Do you think the Sixers made the right choice by choosing him over Jackson, and Wilbekin?

All statistics derived from basketball.RealGM.com

Next: Recapping The Sixers Moves On Cut Day