So far, Sergio Rodriguez has been as good as the Philadelphia 76ers could have hoped for; maybe even a little better. But, is he hurting the team?
When one of your primary ball handlers takes 8.2 shots per game and only makes 3.3 of them, it can get a little frustrating to watch. On the surface, Sergio Rodriguez’s 8.2 points and 5.1 assists in only 23.1 minutes per game is interesting. That’s 12.8 points and 8.0 assists per 36 minutes.
Because of those numbers, there may be a decent market for the Spaniard leading up to the February 23 NBA trade deadline. Teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for guard depth, and “El Chacho” may be ripe for the picking.
Trading Rodriguez at the deadline wouldn’t only be an opportunity to acquire some assets, but it will open a door for rookie guard, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and the newest member of the Sixers, Chasson Randle, who just signed a three-year deal with the team on January 30.
More from The Sixer Sense
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Sixers Podcast: Danny Green returns + James Harden bombshell
Going into this offseason, the Sixers are going to have a lot of opportunities to acquire new pieces via the 2017 NBA Draft and free agency. It’s not 100 percent known whether or not there will be a roster spot sitting around for Randle. Seeing how the Dallas Mavericks may have found a gem in Yogi Ferrell just because he was given a chance, it may be intelligent for the 76ers to give Stanford‘s all-time leader in points scored a chance as well.
Now, regarding Rodriguez, the last thing you want to do at this point is bury him on the bench. It’s a sticky situation to be in because he has shown flashes, but he is taking minutes that could be used for developing younger guys on the team. Benching him could severely lower his trade value around the league, and take all leverage away from Colangelo and Philadelphia.
There were two separate occasions in Wednesday night’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Philadelphia where Rodriguez took illadvised shots, killing momentum which is near impossible to build against Gregg Popovich. Frustration aside, the Sixers need to ride this thing out until the deadline and give him as much spotlight as he can handle.
Rodriguez is on what seems like a one-year rental, being that there’s not much of a chance he’ll be extended after this season, so if the team is unable to move him at the deadline, then it’ll be time to move him aside and make way for the kids.
Next: The New CBA Affects How the Sixers Could Approach the NBA Draft
The Chacho experiment has been successful so far, being that he is putting up career highs in points, assists, rebounds, and steals. In today’s salary age, there’s no doubt that he’s out-performing him $8-million contract, which is just another reason he may be a desired presence around the league.