Can Philadelphia 76ers Harness Isaiah Canaan?
By Bret Stuter
Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) reacts after hitting a three point shot against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Is Canaan The Ultimate Weapon?
Isaiah Canaan has been compared to Norris Cole of the New Orleans Pelicans, and Austin Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers. But Isaiah Canaan is better. I’ve compiled a table of 2015-2016 statistics, showing how our Canaan stacks up against some other “hybrid” guards.
Hybrid Guard Comparison - 2015/2016 Season
| Player Name | MPG | FG% | 3P% | REB | AST | BLK | STL | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Canaan | 27.1 | 34.4% | 36.9% | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 10.9 |
| Austin Rivers | 22.6 | 41.2% | 22.2% | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 7.3 |
| Norris Cole | 20.8 | 32.4% | 20.8% | 2.4 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 7.0 |
Table comparing NBA Hybrid Guards: Canaan Rivers and Cole
So how do other teams value Cole or Rivers? Well the Pelicans signed Cole to a $3 Million qualifying offer
Norris Cole on the qualifying offer feels like a perfectly acceptable outcome for both sides.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) September 16, 2015
While that set the market for Norris Cole, the Los Angeles Clippers signed Austin Rivers to a two-year deal worth $6 Million. So what is Isaiah Canaan earning from the Sixers? $947,276 per spotrac.com. So if you don’ t believe that Isaiah Canaan is more productive than either Norris Cole or Austin Rivers, you cannot argue that he’s much more economical.
ALSO ON SIXER SENSE: Philadelphia 76ers Top 20 Performances Of All Time
So the benefits to a player like Isaiah Canaan is the upside potential, but also the role that is already establish on the Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Pelicans. Canaan will never move and feed the ball like a point guard, and he will never shoot two-pointers with deadly accuracy.
But he’s our Canaan. Set him up from long range and let him blast away. Every campaign needs an artillery. The Sixers have a Canaan, potentially one of the biggest guns in the NBA.