Malcolm Brogdon winning ROY will motivate Philadelphia 76ers

While winning the Rookie of the Year award brings legitimacy to Malcolm Brogdon‘s season, it may only serve as fuel to inspire the young Philadelphia 76ers.

Okay, let me start off by saying that as a Philadelphia 76ers fan I have all the bias in the world. I don’t hate Malcolm Brogdon. He clearly showed that he deserves a place in the NBA. Obviously, the Media felt that he was the most deserving of this award. Good for him. Although I personally feel he was not the BEST rookie this season, consistency matters. He’s the Honda Civic of this year’s Rookie class. To me, having him win the Rookie of the Year award may have been the best thing for this franchise.

Philadelphia 76ers

As if this team didn’t have enough adversity to overcome, the NBA Rookie of the Year winner did not come through Philly. On the contrary, the award was given to a player who showed relative reliability for the majority of this season. You can’t knock that. Again, congrats, my guy. You deserve everything you’ve earned at this point in your career.

Statistically speaking, Malcolm Brogdon was the most sound rookie this season. While he did not average the most points of any rookie this year (Joel Embiid), he got the job done. I want to reiterate, as much as I have some bias towards the candidates of the Rookie of the Year award, I have no hard feels towards Malcolm. Shooting 40 percent from three as a rookie is definitely something to marvel. Clearly, he did something right to earn this award. So, instead of ranting on why Joel Embiid or Dario Saric deserved the award, let’s look at what it means for the Philadelphia 76ers going forward.

Process vs. Results?

While I, like most of Sixers Twitter, detested the selection of Brogdon, the long view prospects for both teams are stellar. Remember, the Milwaukee Bucks are all about results. They understand what it takes to build a quality program. With the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker on deck, the Bucks may remain a mainstay in the playoffs for years to come. If they continue to build around that core, who knows?

Now, back to the Sixers. While they didn’t have a Rookie of the Year winner on their team, they did have two First Team All-Rookie honorees. In addition, they have two more potential First Team All-Rookie prospects for next season on hand. By adding Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz to the mix, the Sixers should be in good shape. Obviously, injury history still haunts this team. But, while the pessimist in me still persists, I can’t help but feel positive about this team.

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I don’t want to do Bucks fans a disservice, either. At the end of the day, both Philadelphia and Milwaukee have avid basketball fanbases. We all want our teams to succeed. Hopefully, the Sixers and Bucks can face off in the playoffs, or even the Eastern Conference Finals.

Motivating Factor

Now, I’m not in the business of putting myself in someone’s mind, but you can’t help but think this is bugging both Embiid and Saric. After dominating for a 31 game stretch, I can’t imagine JoJo will take this sitting down. Well, maybe if he’s stretching out that meniscus, but still. As a competitor, all you want to do is win. Championships, accolades, whatever it may be.

Had Embiid been healthy, or played double the games, he would’ve won. While I don’t want to play the “what if” game, you can’t deny that he would’ve won by a landslide. He dominated during that stretch with a 24.1 Player Efficiency Rating as a rookie, resulting in back to back to back Rookie of the Month awards. Hopefully, his health won’t get the best of him and he can get back to dominating.

As for Dario, he still has a bit to prove. One of the areas that Brogdon clearly beats him is consistency. Over the six-month NBA season, Brogdon showed he can knock down threes consistently, and do his part offensively. Saric, on the other hand, struggles in the beginning of the season in the scoring department. He got his act together come February and March, resulting in consecutive Rookie of the Month honors.

But, the damage had been done. His stats suffered due to the lack of harmony. He ended the year shooting 31.1 percent from three. Even though he improved over the course of the season, it still wasn’t enough. He did finish second in the vote, but many still voted in favor of Brogdon and Embiid. This year’s rookie class lack someone who dominated for the entire season. Keyword: dominated. As a result, Brogdon takes the crown.

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So, at the end of the day, the Philadelphia 76ers are left without a Rookie of the Year awardee. But, don’t fret, Philly! This may have been the best thing for the franchise. As we look ahead, the team still has four key pieces. If anything, based off of their passion for the game, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric may very well bounce back. Philly and Milwaukee have a lot to be excited about. Hopefully, this could insight a fun back-and-forth feud of sorts.