Why Tony Wroten? Why now?
Which brings me to the point of this article. Now the Philadelphia 76ers are embroiled in pursuit of a playoff berth. Still, this is still a team not far removed from a total brick-by-brick rebuild. As such, there is a nexus in this moment today where nostalgia, historic preservation, analytics, and future all seem to whirl in a slow spiral. Perhaps the past must be drained from this bathing of rebirth for the Philadelphia 76ers. In some philosophical level, there is a shedding of the old in order to don the new.
But there are some values worth retaining from the old. Nobody can truly understand the challenge of playing on a bad team until they play on that bad team. Tony Wroten matured with the Philadelphia 76ers.
What Tony Wroten means to this team
Now, that maturity gives him a perspective. A special way of appreciating success, but the realization that life goes on. It’s a perspective of a veteran, one which is very unique to himself and less than a handful of players on the team. Seniority on the Philadelphia 76ers roster who have lasted the duration of head coach Brett Brown’s career with the team. Only Robert Covington remains.
Wroten was a natural alongside Covington. They amplified one another. Wroten was a shooting guard without a three-point shot, and a point guard without circus passes. At the time, he started anyways. Now, the team has circus passers and three-point marksmen. But the team cannot discount players who can manufacture offense and just play lights out fill throttle. There will always be room for that type of player. There will always be room for Tony Wroten.