8. PG Sergio Rodriguez
Like Bayless, Rodriguez was another veteran plug-in added by Bryan Colangelo. The former Real Madrid star, who spent several seasons overseas after playing in the NBA from 2006 through 2010, has become a notably more effective player during his time away from America, and comes to Philadelphia as the likely starting point guard out of the gates.
Rodriguez’s greatest skill has always been his court vision, and he has only cultivated that more while overseas. He’s an incredibly crafty ball handler with excellent change of pace ability for someone at his age, which allows him maneuver around the court and come off of screens en route to finding the open man with ease. He’s a precise passer who reads the defense at a level that matches some of the more impressive point guards in the NBA in some respects, and is the ideal person to pick up the reigns and run the offense while Simmons adjusts to the NBA standards.
In an offense that has a lot of flexible pieces and several different rotational possibilities they can fall back on Rodriguez’s prowess when running the offense is going to be especially valuable. He can get out in transition and orchestrate the fast break effectively, or he can sit back and cultivate possessions in the half court. He’s going to be able to take on a good bit of the facilitation duties when Brown calls on him, and that’s not something he’s had in guys like Ish Smith or Tony Wroten in the past.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Rodriguez’s improvement, however, is his shooting. He made some increases percentage-wise during his first stint in the NBA, but was never the consistent knockdown shooter than the Blazers were hoping for in the early stages of his career. He has seemingly polished off his shot thus far overseas, and could continue to showcase that in the Olympics if given the opportunity to do so.
With Simmons bound to be handling playmaking duties to some extent throughout the season, Rodriguez’s ability to get open on the perimeter and hit open jumpers is going to be a crucial aspect of Brett Brown’s offense.
Rodriguez is the veteran voice and perimeter creator that Sam Hinkie never went out and got, and in many ways, is one of the characterizing moments of the culture shift going on within the organization. He’s a different player than anything they’ve had during their multiyear rebuild thus far, and will be an intriguing piece to watch Brown implement.
Next: 7. Covington