What Tony Wroten’s Return Means to the Sixers

Tony Wroten’s return to the lineup is good news for the struggling Philadelphia 76ers. While Wroten is far from a season savior, his return should help the Sixers in a number of ways.

Offensive Impact

As currently constructed, the Sixers offense is not very good. They rank dead last in the NBA in points per game, scoring just 91.2 each contest, and only the similarly struggling Lakers are shooting a worse overall percentage from the field. One main factor in the team’s offensive woes this season is their lack of creators. Outside of Jahlil Okafor in the post, and to an increasing extent Robert Covington, the Sixers don’t have players that can create their own shots. When the shot clock is winding down, or the offense breaks down, they don’t have a guy that they can give the ball to and say: “Hey, make something happen for us.”

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While Okafor has demonstrated an ability to be a go-to guy, it is not always easy to work the ball into the post, especially against a prepared defense. Thus, it is important to have a perimeter player that is able to take the ball and either create for himself or others; Wroten can do that. While he’s not Steph Curry, he has averaged a respectable fourteen points per game over his two seasons with the Sixers, and defenses are forced to respect his ability to take the ball to the rim, finish, or draw a foul. Before his injury, Wroten was the Sixers leading scorer last season, and the team will benefit from his return, especially on the offensive end.

Expanded Depth

Although Wroten won’t play major minutes right away as he eases back into action, his return means a role reduction for several Sixers players that have been relied on, maybe too heavily, so far this season. Phil Pressey has already been axed in anticipation of Wroten’s return, and other guards like T.J. McConnell, Isaiah Canaan, and JaKarr Sampson will likely see their minutes cut.

While losing minutes sounds like a negative thing, it could prove to be a positive, as these guards could potentially benefit from playing shorter stretches. Effectiveness could increase as well, especially against second unit players. It is when these players are forced to play major minutes against elite competition that issues arise. Isaiah Canaan may not be a guy you want on the court for thirty minutes a night, or as your starting shooting guard, but coming in off of the bench for a spell to provide some instant offense and floor spacing? Why not. Wroten’s return takes a little bit of pressure off of each of the guards who have been carrying a large load so far this season.

While it is not known exactly where Wroten will play, it is likely he will see some time at both guard positions.

Experience

As hard as it may be to believe, with 137 career games and 31 career starts under his belt, Wroten is one of the Sixers’ most experienced players at this point. Much of the team’s current crop was still in high school when Wroten made his NBA debut with Memphis back in the 2012-13 season, and it shows. Along with Hollis Thompson, and (an initially injured) Nerlens Noel, Wroten is one of the few guys that has been around for virtually all of the Sixers recent rebuild.

This on-court experience will manifest itself throughout the course of contests, especially down the stretch of close games, when the young Sixers often appear timid, unsure, and unorganized. Wroten has been in such situations before, often serving as the Sixers’ closer, and he will not be quite as frazzled and overcome by the moment as some of the team’s young guards appear to be.

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Not to mention, Wroten’s ability to generate his own offense will become especially important late in games when the Sixers struggle to produce productive possessions. His ability to take the ball to the rim and potentially draw a foul, or open up the offensive glass for Okafor and Noel is something that the team is lacking currently.