Can Philadelphia 76ers Kris Humphries do better against Boston?

Philadelphia 76ers veteran power forward Kris Humphries disappointed in his debut against Memphis. Can he do better against Boston?

Power forward Kris Humphries signed on to the Philadelphia 76ers to add some veteran leadership, and to round out the team’s roster to the 20 limit for preseason. Making the team’s 15 man roster is nothing more than a very remote chance. The team made moves in the off-season to shore up the position with adding former Celtic Amir Johnson.   The “main man” for the role is likely Dario Saric, who will often find himself coming off the bench.

Robert Covington will slot there as well, but his versatility simply gives him more reason to line up with point guard Ben Simmons.  Finally, there is center/power forward Richaun Holmes.

And then again, there is that situation of point guard Ben Simmons running in the line up as a power forward.

In the end, that power forward role is rather well stocked.

Colangelo factor

But Kris Humphries has some value in a spot role. He’s had playoff experience. He has a 46.3 percent shot from the floor, and 70 percent from the foul line. And of course, he is connected to the team’s current president Bryan Colangelo thanks to their shared history in Toronto.

While in Toronto, he played in nine of his 22 post season games.  But he played the system the right way.  Long before he was entangled with the Kardashian Klan, he accepted a role off the bench helping the Raptors.  Perhaps his presence aimed at helping players for the Philadelphia 76ers accept a role off the bench.

Memphis “Meh!”

But Kris Humphries did not have a debut worth remembering against the Memphis Grizzlies.  While Jahlil Okafor was working hard to salvage fan respect, Humphries was digging a hole for himself.

While he did pull down two rebounds, and blocked a Grizzlies shot, his offense didn’t make it to the basketball court. He ended the night with no points on two shots, and he had two turnovers.  Ultimately, he saw seven minutes of playing time, third fewest on the team behind point guard Jacob Pullen and shooting guard James Blackmon Jr.

Boston rebound

Kris Humphries was never expected to land a spot on the 15-man roster. But pushing for a spot was certainly well within the scope of his signing.  In his debut, Humphries made a memorable impression as a paycheck player. And Philadelphia fans detest that resemblance on the basketball court.

Booed in his opener, Humphries must hope for a rebound performance against the Boston Celtics. On one hand, some semblance of offensive output would be nice.  On the other hand, better ball handles would be better.  And ultimately, an overall good game would be great.  Will it matter to the grand scheme of things? Likely not.

Next: A Sixers fan dealing with conflicting fandom

But Philadelphia 76ers fans want to see team chemistry, scheme, and shot selection. Turnovers from a veteran will not win the hearts of those hungry fans.

So let’s hope Humphries rebounds.  With all the talking heads (looking at YOU cowherd and skippy) aiming pointed words at Philadelphia to boost ratings, we don’t need to give them any ammo. They’ll prod anyways, but hopefully not as a result of Humphries struggling with the team.