Breaking down Sixers signee Melo Trimble
Once considered a potential lottery talent, Maryland junior Melo Trimble has tumbled a long ways on draft boards. The Philadelphia 76ers could find him to be a valuable reclamation project.
The NBA Draft process doesn’t end with the 60th pick. A flurry of undrafted free agents often find themselves agreeing to their first NBA contracts in the hours that follow, with the Philadelphia 76ers — as well as every other team in the league — being active participants.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers struck on one of the biggest names available in relatively short order, bringing on former Maryland stud Melo Trimble. For a Sixers team that presently lacks depth at the point guard spot, Trimble, who was once considered a lottery talent upon entering the collegiate ranks, could be a worthwhile investment. He’ll need to carve out a niche and earn his keep during Summer League play, though, which will likely provide the catalyst for either his NBA success or inevitable devaluation.
The foremost concern with Trimble’s NBA stock is his athletic tools. Standing at 6-2 with just a 6-2 wingspan, Trimble has been viewed as more of a shooting guard in a body that struggles to adequately defend point guards. He’ll get burned by longer lead guards at the next level, while his skill set on the offensive end will struggle to justify keeping him on the court. He’ll have to play point guard — which he did a Maryland — to make it at the next level, but doing so consistently against NBA athletes will be a sizable challenge.
In 32.6 minutes per game last season, Trimble averaged just 3.8 assists per contest while turning the ball over 3.1 times. Not only is his vision lacking, but his ball security is equally as concerning. He shows promise in the pick-and-roll, especially as a scorer, but the general carelessness and inefficiency with which he creates for others is going to be a massive roadblock in attaining NBA success.
Simply consider the trajectory his career will have to take in order for him to emerge as a sustainable NBA option. He’ll have to overcome both lackluster physical tools and a severe positional disadvantage in a league that’s quickly trending away from smaller guards. He’s a comboguard in the absolute worst of ways, and that’ll be difficult to rebound from against such elite competition.
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Trimble, however, was one of the better guards in college basketball on the offensive end. What lacked in playmaking, he made up for with enough innate scoring touch to lead his Maryland squad to consistent success. Albeit far different from NBA competition, collegiate stardom does, in some ways, have meaning. Trimble showed he can play against legitimate competition, and the tools his did flash were enough to garner some sense of relevance in the draft process.
Any time you’re considered a lottery talent during the course of your amateur career, a certain level of skill has to be present. Trimble may not have maximized that skill, while his NBA fit is marginal at best. But that skill is still there. He can still get buckets, and that alone is enough for Philadelphia to continue probing his value this summer.
Trimble is a shot-maker. While not terribly consistent, which is shown by his 31.3 percent clip from deep, his form does yield results when utilized in heavy volume. He’s best when used in the pick-and-roll, where his shifty ball handling and quick release allows him to keep defenders off balance and generate space for his jumper on a dime.
He’s a smooth operator from mid-range, while his finishing touch around the basket is solid, despite his limited size. He has a nifty array of floaters he can rely on against longer rim protectors, while his quick first step allows him to get into the lane and finish when afforded the opportunity to do so.
His mechanics, all-in-all, are better than his percentages would indicate, meaning there’s a chance that they’ll translate at a higher rate when placed into an NBA offense that yields better looks on that side of the ball. Trimble carved out his role at Maryland as a dynamic isolation scorer with the off-ball ability and rudimentary playmaking needed to bring together the group around him.
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His NBA role is shaky at best, but there’s always a place for scorers. If Trimble is able to find his groove at the next level, the once-lottery talent could finally reestablish his relevance as a professional prospect.