The Philadelphia 76ers needed a veteran point guard to lead the team this season. But in signing Sergio Rodriguez, they may have found something far better.
Success is not always what you think it is. Scientific discovery has filled volumes of accidents which led to incredible breakthoughs. But it was the moment of pause after the desired results did not happen, and a moment of reflection of what did happen, that sets the wheels of discovery into motion.
So here we are, pausing for a moment to see what just happened to the Philadelphia 76ers.
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The team entered this off-season with openings up and down the roster. In fact, with the exception of center, and probably power forward, the team has a fairly young and still developing roster in all other positions. Yes, point guard T.J.McConnell wowed some heads as an undrafted free agent point guard who played better than expected. Yes, Jerami Grant turned some heads when he was named to Team USA select and eager to return to the team to compete for playing time and perhaps a starting role. And then there is the NBA draft, which resulted in Ben Simmons, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Furkan Korkmaz been selected to the Philadelphia 76ers.
And of course, the team will finally get to experience the long anticipated NBA debut of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.
But it’s a team of youth, rookies, and unfamiliar faces. The same situation with the team in 2015-2016 had no true leader at point guard, and struggled for a win.
Next: The Right Glue
The Right Glue
A leader of the Philadelphia 76ers roster needs three things to succeed this season:
I. He must relate to the newness of the NBA to rookies and second year players
II He must have years of NBA experience to understand the ebb and flow of the game.
III. He must have an understanding of international relations, as the Philadelphia 76ers players represent many nations.
Blue Man Hoop
Newly signed point guard Sergio Rodriguez has all of these qualities. His return to the USA after a successful run in the Euroleague with Team Madrid will give him the experience of the NBA as a rookie, with all of the distractions, new faces, new places, and plethora of changes to adjust since his last run in the NBA.
But to that, he did play in the NBA for four years, where he averaged 4.3 points per game, 41.8 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from three-point distance. It was enough to earn him playing time, but not enough to realize his dream of NBA stardom. In the end, it was up to the New York Knicks to extend Rodriguez a qualifying offer. They didn’t, and he signed on with Real Madrid.
And it’s that experience of the NBA that served him so well in the Euroleague, and now that understanding of the Euroleague which will serve him so well in the NBA. With a team comprised of players from Spain, Cameroon, France, Canada, Turkey, Croatia, and Australia, the 76ers will have a United Nations diplomacy requirement. To lead so many from so far away, the team will need a player with international experience.
Next: Plays well too
Plays well too
Rodriguez stands 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 176 pounds, the right size for the point. He was named the MVP of the 2004 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, which was held in Zaragoza, Spain, while playing with the Spanish national junior team. He led the host Spanish team to the tournament’s gold medal. In the eight games of that tournament, he averaged 19 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, 8.5 assists per game, and 2.1 steals per game.
Sergio Rodríguez is an off-the-charts basketball talent; one of just a few players capable of surprising even basketball savvy minds with his moves. A very creative play maker, he has an incredible ability to generate offense, whether for himself or for his teammates, based on an outstanding skill set.
He’s no superb athlete, nor a physical freak. What he is is just a basketball player who fills the bill for the basic tools required to carry his game to the next level. At 6-3, he has good size to handle the position while showing a nice enough frame for a point guard. He won’t blow anybody with his athleticism, but he’s a fairly quick guy and he let’s his skills do the rest. He out thinks his competition, much like a marksman baseball pitcher, by forcing a defender to lean one way and then going the other way with the ball. His drives to the basket set up superb passes back out to the perimeter for a clean three, or to the post for a dunk.
Sergio isn’t limited to simply a drive and dish player; he passes from the perimeter, rewarding strong off the ball movement, not only for the players going outside looking for an open look from the three-point line, but also being able to deliver difficult entry passes on sharp cuts to the basket. He does not pass for highlight reels, and despite his ability to make circus passing look easy, he won’t try tht jjust for the sake of doing it. He does like to give the ball up with a no-look pass, but on one hand it helps to create confusion for the defense, and on the other, for him it’s as easy and natural as breathing.
Next: More to Pass Along
More to Pass Along
He can use both hands or just one in the delivery (usually the right), while he elegantly takes advantage of the bounce pass when he finds the opportunity. Behind-the-back passes or other things of that nature is not the most common thing to see him do; only when the situation requires it. He’s perhaps even a better passer in transition. He never gives up the chance of a full-court pass if it will create an advantage for his team. If he takes the ball up-court on a fast break, he shows excellent decision making looking for the best option, whether feeding the running wings, the trailer coming behind him or finishing himself. Here’s a video of what I’m talking about:
Place this onto a roster with Ben Simmons and Dario Saric, and you can expect the ball to fly around the court rapidly and with precision. Factor in Luwawu, a player who loves to move without the ball, and you’ve created a nearly Harlem Globetrotters roster.
We thought the Philadelphia 76ers would make a run on the back court, and they have signed Jerryd Bayless to a three year deal. But Bayless is a veteran reserve player who can flip from point to shooting guard. Rodriguez is pure PG. We announced his signing and summarized some of his basic stats in a previous article. We even included a YouTube highlight video from his NBA days:
He’s got some moves worth seeing.
Next: Sixers Set for Season
Sixers Set For Season
Perhaps many believe the Philadelphia 76ers need more to this team than we have added. We’ve lost point guard to free agency, and added Sergio Rodriguez. We’ve lost Isaiah Canaan and replaced him with Jerryd Bayless. Finally, we’ve lost venerable power forward Elton Brand.
But the team has forwards Dario Saric and Ben Simmons, a healthier center Joel Embiid, and shooting guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot joining the team. That places the team at 17 players, which places the performance in summer league for both T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes into the pressure cooker.
But barring any surprise signings, this team’s roster is ready to launch into the 2016-2017 season. Forget the chatter about a log jam. With Joel Embiid on minutes restrictions and alternating games, he is about 25-30 percent of the way there. That leaves about 20 minutes per game average for both Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor each per game going forward.
As for the power forward? Dario Saric, Carl Landry, and Richaun Holmes will split duties there.
Small Forward? That falls to Ben Simmons, Jerami Grant, and Robert Covington.
Shooting guard? That’s Nik Stauskas, Hollis Thompson, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.
Point guard? That’s Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless, T.J. McConnell, and for now, Kendall Marshall.
That’s 15 plus right now. And with the starting lineup, the bench of the Philadelphia 76ers looks very good indeed.
Next: 3 Moves the Philadelphia 76ers Need to Make
The Philadelphia 76ers needed to address the roster in many places. Some fixes are immediate, while some will just take time. In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers have improved dramatically from a year ago. Will their record end up better than .500? That’s doubtful. But with these pieces, this is absolutely the deepest and most complete roster the team has had in the past three years.