Oct 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) dribbles up the court during the third quarter against the Washington Wizardsat Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Isaiah Canaan has quickly found himself in a very promising position as a point guard on the Philadelphia 76ers. Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall have been deemed as the “top two” candidates to start at the point guard position, but both of them are looking at some time off due to injury. Marshall is expected to be out for another month at the least, and Wroten’s injury keeps getting pushed further and further, as he’s now not expected to come back until December.
Because of this, Canaan has found himself as the next best thing in line, and likely getting the start at least until someone else is healthy. With this comes a pressure to play well when he does have starts, and a reason for him to make the most of these starts that he does have.
Although he will have a backup, his backup is going to be rookie T.J. McConnell, a rookie. Canaan is going to get a lot of minutes, and with this should come a lot of scoring. In his time with Philly last season, he averaged 12.6 points per game, and 17.6 per 36 minutes. He was a heads up player at times as well, demonstrated by this three pointer to end the half against the Miami Heat last season.
Personally, I have high expectations for Canaan this season. He has a decent perimeter shot, and can move the ball around to teammates if he tries to. He averaged 13.0 points and 4.2 assists per game in the preseason. He shot 40% from the field as well.
Fans should be excited about Canaan, and Canaan should be prepared to show the Sixers what he’s got in the time that he has a starting position. If he does well enough, he could make a case for himself to start above even Marshall and Wroten. If he’s scoring 15 points a game with five assists, head coach Brett Brown would be hard pressed to interrupt that by putting in a player still recovering from injury.
Next: T.J. McConnell