After some legitimate controversy over who should man the starting point guard role to kick off the season, Sergio Rodriguez‘s savvy play outshone that of TJ McConnell in almost every facet.
T.J. McConnell was the preferred starter among many Philadelphia 76ers fans heading into the team’s opening night matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, with his defensive energy and solid rapport with the team’s big men being the facilitating reasons behind that conclusion. I took a different route, advocating for the newcomer from Spain, Sergio Rodriguez, as the ideal starting one man for a team in desperate need of some veteran know-how on the perimeter. Last night, he proved my point.
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As one of the craftiest playmakers from international waters, this was little doubt as to whether or not Rodriguez had improved during his tenure overseas with Real Madrid. After a disappointing first stint in the league that ended back in 2010, the now-30-year-old emerged as one of the Euroleague’s most productive entities — something that can generally translate to some degree of success in the NBA, despite the talent disparity.
Rodriguez made a name for himself as a polished passer, with a quick first step that few players his age can still rely on, alongside a level of court vision that can be feasibly compared to some of the better creators in today’s game.
He’s not an overly athletic force, but neither is McConnell. And the defensive advantages that led many to hand the second year man out of Arizona the upper hand didn’t seem all that impressive last night, as a poor decision underneath the basket and a lesser degree of intelligence on the perimeter made him seem just as exploitable against a dynamic OKC backcourt.
The Sixers have been a team deprived of high caliber playmaking over the course of the past few seasons, as well as one lacking the general benefits of having veterans on the court. Rodriguez, albeit his numbers weren’t excessively brilliant, showcased just how important those factors can be in improving a team’s production. He was more confident leading the offense than McConnell, and made a series of passes to set up the Sixers’ best offensive producers that we couldn’t have expected from the likes of an Ish Smith or Isaiah Canaan in recent years.
Rodriguez racked up a near double-double, putting up 12 points on smart shooting while dishing out 9 assists in total. Perhaps the most impressive part of his stat-line, however, is the fact that he was heavily in control of the basketball during the time he was on the court, yet avoiding turning the ball over entirely in his return to NBA play. In addition, Rodriguez had the highest net rating of any Sixer who saw playing time last night.
Embiid’s production was fantastic, and there were a lot of positives throughout the night, from the likes of Nik Stauskas showing major improvements to Richaun Holmes looking like a more-than-solid backup five. A lot of that, however, can be attributed to the flow of the game offensively. The Sixers were able to control the pace in a way they haven’t been able to during Brett Brown’s first few season’s with the team, and a great deal of that is due to Rodriguez’s steady hand at the point.
While I’m not projecting Rodriguez as some All-Star who is altering the course of this franchise, he clearly made the team better last night. His basketball I.Q. at the one alongside his crisp passing is a luxury that the Sixers have been devoid of during their extensive rebuild, making the emergence of Rodriguez last night all that more refreshing for those of us yearning for some form of tangible improvement at the point guard spot.
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Philly was a whirlwind of excitement and optimism Wednesday night, even in what ended as a bitter defeat. There were a plethora of positives to point to in what was almost an ideal first showing for a team that has built such a unique level of hype over the offseason. And while most of that seemed to culminate in the performance from Embiid, Rodriguez deserves a lot of credit for taking the team’s offensive fluidity up a notch last night. He is, without much question, the starting point guard until McConnell is able to put up any reasonable argument against that.