Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Brett Brown likes Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s bottled up reckless abandon
It was apparent to me that Philadelphia 76ers rookie shooting guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (TLC) has the makings of something special. More importantly, it’s apparent to head coach Brett Brown. TLC is a highly talented but very raw shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Well, he WAS raw.
And raw was something everyone was aware of as the team selected TLC with the 24th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft. Raw yes. But also high ceiling, high energy, fearlessness, and great instincts.
It was that potential which attracted the Philadelphia 76ers. But he needed strong coaching to hew his even stronger passion. And with head coach Brett Brown still fighting the battle of limited player minutes, he had to be very judicious about how much playing time TLC earned early in the season.
Brett Brown, even diluted with managing minutes, player injuries, and plugging holes in line-ups, is the ideal coach for the needs of players like TLC. He meted out TLC’s playing time, and then used practice to reinforce NBA rules. Luwawu tended to foul. Brown put checks in place to reduce that tendancy.
Reckless Abandon
The constraints worked. The team is flushing out his fouling tendencies without extinguishing his confidence.
Brett Brown must be part cowboy. Wild stallion Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is a work horse now. Incredible turnaround for that young man.
— Bret Stuter 🏈🐑+ 🏀🐺 (@milroyigglesfan) January 29, 2017
The Philadelphia 76ers need defense at the guard position. T.J. McConnell has stepped up in that area this year. Nik Stauskas has stepped up in that area this year as well. But neither has the wingspan nor audacity of Timothey Luwawu-Cabarrot. And in the end, Brett Brown loves the audacity.
Brown says he really likes how Luwawu-Cabarrot has bottled up reckless abandon in a young athlete's body. Lets him play through mistakes.
— brianseltzer (@brianseltzer) March 20, 2017
Good Reason To Like TLC
You can almost hear Brett Brown “BAustrailian” accent saying “Let him play” in this one. And playing is what TLC needs. In the month of March 2017, he is averaging 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and .7 steals on 24.5 minutes per game. In that period, he is shooting 39.6 percent from the floor, and 32.5 percent from the perimeter.
But he needs to keep an eye on his fouls. He played a five game stretch where he averaged 4.3 fouls per game. When he gets that under control, look out.
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Luwawu is graceful in his movement, with or without the ball. The basketball court is not a “get to my spot” space. Rather it’s a dance floor, and his moves are instinctively choreographed. As the team brings on the likes of Ben Simmons, that choreography will begin to show up in highlight reels. He moves to the right spots and Simmons will get him the ball.
Ben’s Return Will Showcase Best of TLC
Yes, Ben Simmons will be back next season. What does that mean for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot? Well, for one thing, that will mean points scored.
In fact, whether intentional or accidental, the Philadelphia 76ers may have selected a perfect partner for Ben Simmons. He defends, he moves well without the ball, and he had improving accuracy. By next season, everything should begin to fall into place. Then, the team will truly resemble a playoff team.
Simmons is the controlled tempo, cerebral field general. Luwawu is his passionate equivalent. While speculation for now, their styles should be very complimentary.
Nobody has benefited more from Ben Simmons’ rehab than Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. As Simmons’ has rehabbed, TLC has been refining his play to the point where he should get plenty of playing time with Simmons next season. And if Simmons and TLC harmonize as well as expected, rookies from the 2017 NBA Draft may be hard pressed to get playing time.
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Arriving to the team in the same draft, the upside of these two syncing is huge to the team, and to the NBA. And for that, the reckless abandon is worth holding onto.