5 New Years resolutions for 2018 Philadelphia 76ers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: The lottery balls are picked inside the lottery room during the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery at the New York Hilton in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: The lottery balls are picked inside the lottery room during the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery at the New York Hilton in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)
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CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 18: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 18: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot

Resolution III – Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will improve to 12 points per game or better.

Wingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has been streaky in the the early part of the 2017-2018 season. One game he runs 15 points, the next game he scores four points.  Compounding the problem even more, he had a waif of improving his perimeter shooting, but that dissipated in December, where he is only shooting 20 percent from three-point range.  In fact, December 2017 is a rather ugly month for the second year wing, as his average points per game tumbled from 7.9 in November to a paltry 3.6 PPG.

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  • His shooting has regressed significantly, and as a result, the minutes per game are beginning to ebb as well. Still, I hold out hope for a turnaround.  And what fuels my optimism?

    Injury, history, and trend

    The first reason for optimism is a simple one. The Philadelphia 76ers have fallen to injury once more. Right now, the team is playing every healthy body on the roster. That means the team is giving quality minutes to just nine players on the team.  Ultimately, players production improve when they get more playing time.

    But Luwawu-Cabarrot has more going for him than simple volume shooting.  He delivered at the end of last season, so that history should play a factor at some point this year.  And then there remains the trend of players who simply improve with maturity and experience.  But the question remains, how quickly does a turnaround happen?