No Reasons to Get Rid of Isaiah Canaan

Isaiah Canaan hasn’t been an above-average player, but there are no reasons for the Philadelphia 76ers to part ways with him.

Isaiah Canaan of the Philadelphia 76ers, in one word, could be described as, “meh.” If I had to choose one word, that would be the word. Definitely not glamorous, but it doesn’t really bear a negative connotation with it.

Over this past season, and Canaan’s career in general, anytime I see him get the ball, I tend to groan. But at the same time, I’m optimistic that he’ll hit a huge 3-pointer like he does from time to time. Unfortunately, Canaan has been less than consistent over the years, but he’s definitely not the worst player on the team.

As this Philadelphia 76ers team moves forward in their rebuilding process, more assets brought in from free agency, the draft, and trades will render some players on the roster from this year useless, and they will be cut before the season begins. Evaluating the roster is something that will give us a general idea of who will be around and who won’t be for coming seasons.

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I believe Canaan will be around, but not necessarily for what he does. More so, I believe he will remain on the team because the team is unskilled in the backcourt, and there’s not much of a reason to cut him from the team because of that.

Money is a bit of a weird thing to talk about with the Sixers, since their highest paid contract this year was to a player who isn’t currently a Sixer (JaVale McGee) and their highest paid contact to a current player is to the one who plays the fifth-least amount of minutes per game on the team (Carl Landry). The Sixers don’t really care about paying out, but they are getting Canaan for a bargain this season.

Canaan’s contract is just $947,000, and it expires this season. This makes Canaan an unrestricted free agent this summer, but there won’t be many teams desperate to sign him. The Sixers will likely be a frontrunner in the conversation, and they can offer him some good money next year. Canaan hasn’t done enough to reasonably ask for a much larger contract, so the Sixers could probably get him for a decent price. Perhaps $1-$1.5 million per season.

What was alarming with Canaan was we saw him take a major dip in most statistics when comparing him as a Sixer this year to him as a Sixer last year. Canaan did spend some time with the Houston Rockets last season, but played 22 games with Philly last year.

Canaan, per 36 minutes, decreased by about 2 points and one assist. His field goal percentage went down, and his 3-point percentage went up just one percent, at 36.5 percent this season.

Although he dipped in a lot of areas, we must consider that at the beginning of this season, Canaan was given the starting point guard position, not his natural spot. Although he should be able to run any backcourt position without much hesitation, it is a lot to expect of a player who is used to being a shooting guard.

According to Basketball Reference, though, Canaan’s estimated use as a point guard went down this season by nearly 15 percent.

What’s left to consider is that the Sixers backcourt underwent a lot of different looks this season, and took some getting used to for everyone involved. From T.J. McConnell to Tony Wroten (released) to Kendall Marshall (rarely plays), to Ish Smith (acquired in December), there have been lots of running-mates alongside Canaan in the backcourt.

Per game, Canaan had decent contributions to this Sixers team. He had over 10 points per game. What was most alarming was his inability to move the ball and get his teammates involved, averaging under 2 assists per game so far this season. That’s what separates Canaan from being an okay guard and a good guard. He plays a bit selfishly, and if he’s going to remain on the team for the long haul, he’s going to have to change that.

Looking ahead to this season though, the Sixers are severely undermanned in the backcourt. Nik Stauskas looks to be heating up, but Ish Smith’s involvement for the next years is unknown. Although they could look to trade or sign in free agency, or even sign a guard in the draft (Kris Dunn is an option), they know what to expect from Canaan, they know how to work with him, and familiarity may be key in the backcourt, at least from next year.

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There’s no real hypothetical big pieces coming into the backcourt to kick existing pieces out (like there is in the frontcourt with Dario Saric and Joel Embiid), so I believe there’s not much of a reason to kick Canaan out. There is more reason to stick with him for a bit longer, and see how he develops further.