Philadelphia 76ers FA Buys Team Time To Develop Youth
By Bret Stuter
Carl Landry Case Study
When the team accepted power forward Carl Landry in the deal which brought draft picks and shooting guard Nik Stauskas to the team, he was a 31 year-old power forward who came off the bench for the Sacramento Kings. Despite coming off wrist surgery and returning to an active NBA roster two months into the season, he contributed in a very positive way. He shot 55.6 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from three-point range, and chipped in 9.8 points.
The only true “month” of his play came in March 2016, where he appeared in all 15 games, averaged 19.4 minutes per game, and shot 50 percent from the floor to contribute 11.5 points per game. He was forced into action as both centers Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel were injured.
The Philadelphia 76ers did not win games in March. So by the standards of many, his retention was not worth the roster spot.
That ignores the value of having Carl Landry on the team entirely.
You see, Landry worked out with and helped Richaun Holmes. That was not a one time event, but a season’s worth of workouts, conversations, and opportunity to learn when a coach was not around. He also worked with Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and to some part, Joel Embiid as well.
All for the sake of team.
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