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Philadelphia 76ers: The Point Guard Debate

By Jonathan Kelly

Mar 21, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jerryd Bayless (19) dribbles the ball during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jerryd Bayless (19) dribbles the ball during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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As we inch closer to the beginning of the NBA season, the question remains — What are the Philadelphia 76ers going to do at the Point Guard position?

Now that the Philadelphia 76ers 2016-17 schedule has been officially released, we are one step closer to opening the season on October 26th. But before we do, we still have a few issues we need to work out prior to opening night tip-off. Perhaps there is none bigger than solving the issue of what will happen with the point guard slot.

Jerryd Bayless

Jerryd Bayless is the favorite to open the season as the Philadelphia 76ers starting point guard. The Sixers inked him to a three-year $27 million dollar contract this offseason. They also brought in Sergio Rodriguez from across the pond and are expected to return T.J. McConnell who had a strong rookie season.

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While Bayless does bring the veteran experience to this young squad, he is going to be in for a battle if he wants to keep the starting gig. Bayless has been nothing more than a score-first point guard since entering the league in 2008. Over the years, he has shown ability to score and knock down 3-point shots from time to time, but that is about all he has to offer. Another thing to note is that everyone is quick to point to his career high 43 percent from beyond the arc last season but his career 3-point percentage is lower at 36.5 percent.

T.J. McConnell

T.J. McConnell is the obvious underdog to win the starting spot. But that doesn’t mean there is no chance he could. McConnell was one of the few bright spots on a very dark 2015-16 season. After battling to make the squad, he ended up being a key part of the Philadelphia 76ers rotation last year. He even earned two first place votes for the Rookie All-star first team.

Head coach Brett Brown loves McConnell’s work ethic and has been public about how he admires what he brings to the team. McConnell finished the season averaging 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in just under 20 mins of action per night.

I have talked about McConnell’s rookie season and record-breaking numbers in previous articles so I will refrain from going into much detail here. That being said, McConnell has the talent and potential to develop into a solid starting NBA point guard in the future.

In order to have a chance at winning the starting position this season, he will need to be more aggressive scoring and getting to the free throw line. He needs drastic improvement on his 63 percent from the charity stripe.

Sergio Rodriguez

The last part of this point guard equation is Sergio Rodriguez, also known as “El Chacho.” Rodriguez has spent the last six seasons playing overseas for Real Madrid in the Euroleague. He averaged 11.6 points, 6.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. His assists totals are more indicative of a starting NBA point guard as opposed to Jerryd Bayless’ 3.1 assists per game.

Sergio possesses electrifying quickness and excels off the pick and roll. He also averaged over 40 percent from the 3-point line last season. Watching Rodriguez play for Spain during the Olympics was one of the first times Sixers fans were able to see what he will be capable of providing for the team this season.

So far, he is averaging 8.3 points, 5.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds in just over 20 minutes of action per game. He has also turned some heads with his flashy passes that were highlighted during his 10 points and 7 assists performance against Croatia. Additionally, he looks very comfortable in the pick and roll as advertised. It is easy to see him making plays with any of the big men that will be part of the Philadelphia 76ers rotation.

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At this point, I expect Brown to play with different rotations early on during the regular season to see what fits best for the team. Based on the eye test, it would appear that Sergio Rodriguez is probably the most well-rounded point guard for this season as McConnell still needs some time to further develop. Bayless could fit well in a 6th man role where he can come off the bench to provide scoring rather than run an offense — much like how Cleveland utilized Mo Williams last season.

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Lastly, the Sixers trade rumors have been heating up, particularly with the Boston Celtics, so this could potentially throw a wrench in the guard rotation. Only time will tell on who the Sixers plan on trusting to run their offense. We should get a much better idea once we start approaching training camp and the preseason.