Dec 14, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard
(0) looks to pass the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. The Bulls won 115-96. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Can Philadelphia 76ers Harness Isaiah Canaan?
CANAAN BALL!
The sound you heard as a child just before you nearly drowned from a wall of water soaking any parts of your body that were not already submerged. Isaiah Canaan is that guy…
A Loose Canaan
Canaan Ball
To shoot sparrows with a Canaan.
Yes, you can have fun with the name. And sometimes you can have fun watching him play.
#CANAANBALL 💣💣💣💣 pic.twitter.com/lYMsOIMdm2
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 17, 2015
Isaiah Canaan is a 6’0″ 200 pound guard who is not quite a point guard and not quite a shooting guard. He’s best qualified as a hybrid, a player who can fill the role of either point or shooting guard adequately, but who doesn’t have the skills to play either position exclusively. Isaiah Canaan does not pass first. His type of play is not the ball handling, defending, feed the ball to the open shooter ala T.J. McConnell nor Kendall Marshall. But his shooting of 34.4% from the floor is not very good, particularly when you consider that he shoots treys at a 36.9% clip. That means he is shooting a mere 28.8% when he attempts to knock down two point shots. That’s simply not the kind of production you want from your shooting guard.
Next: I Did It My Way
Dec 10, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward
(30) and forward
(33) during first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
I Did It My Way
At 6’0″, Canaan is too small to mix it up with shooting forwards, power forwards and centers on the front court. So he plays the game his style, his way. Like a cannonball, he just aims and shoots. Like a loose cannon… er… Canaan. You get the picture. So what’s a guy like that doing on a team like Philadelphia? He’s the long range artillery. He’s filling the role the team had hoped to find with the arrival of Nik Stauskas. He is that guy who starts pumping and hitting treys and suddenly the Philadelphia 76ers are in the lead or have closed the gap. He’s that guy. When he shoots poorly, it’s not a pleasant sight. He shot one for five Monday night against the Chicago Bulls and ended up scoring a mere four points. He returned to the court Wednesday night to face the Atlanta Hawks, and shot seven for twelve, including six for eight from three-pointerville, to lead the Sixers in scoring 24 points.
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Overall, It’s been that kind of season for the team, and that kind of season for Isaiah: up and down, oscillating, tears and fears and cheers and jeers. A true rollercoaster ride. But over time, the trend is improving. This is just a sample of what Isaiah Canaan can do. Nobody can feign in the NBA. You either are or you are not. You can train, improve, learn and grow. But you cannot be something you are not. That is the challenge of harnessing Canaan. He’s not set up to play a traditional role on a team. So he is wedged into the class of NBA hybrid guards. But before we look at comparatives, lets see how Isaiah Canaan is developing under the guidance of head coach Brett Brown.
Next: Positive Trends
Dec 16, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Canaan (0) defends Atlanta Hawks guard
(13) in the fourth quarter of their game at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 127-106. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Positive trends
In two games in October, Canaan was shooting 30% from the floor (FG), 31% on threes (3P%), 3.5 turnovers per game (TO), and 2 assists per game (APG). In November he shot 35.3% FG, 35.8% 3p%, 1.4 TO and 1.8 APG. In December he is shooting 33.8% FG, 40.7% 3P%, 1.2 TO and 2.8 APG.. Currently Canaan is 51 for NBA three point shooters. But his current proficiency places him at 25 in the league. Trending like that is not sustainable forever, and at some time Isaiah will plateau. But if he continues to trend upwards, even for a short time, he will provide the Sixers a long term threat that will do wonders for the other teammates. Parking at the perimeter pulls defenders out. Passing to the post or to a pick and roll gives the Sixers some offensive options. Finding that role for Canaan has not been easy.
"“He will still have some point guard in him from time to time but right now I don’t see it immediately like that. We’ll probably go with Phillip and T.J. carrying that 48-minute load. Maybe Isaiah will come in if we really need to score. When we all sort step back and say ‘What does he do,’ he shoots. And so that counts for something when you have a post player like Jahlil (Okafor). So now how do I find that quality? We especially miss it without (Robert) Covington. I see (Canaan) coming in and playing and I see it more now as a two. What has to happen for that to more easily happen is you have to feel comfortable that the matchups aren’t killing you. If they are rolling out 6-7 and 6-9 two and three men, well then maybe that isn’t such a good idea.” – Brett Brown discussing Isaiah Canaan’s role"
And so, the player tries to find an identity on the court, while the head coach tries to find a role that best suits him. That’s a lot of moving parts right now, particularly in the NBA where a majority of teams have already finalized both the player and the role. It’s like the Sixers are taking the court while trying to dress. They are hindered by the coach and player not truly understanding how best to make use of what they do for the optimal benefit for the team. Still, there are signs.
😂😂😂 RT @Sixers: #Canaanball pic.twitter.com/iffAoKSYXe
— Isaiah Canaan (@SiP03) October 9, 2015
Next: The Ultimate Weapon
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.
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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.