Philadelphia 76ers need to stick with TLC when Redick returns
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot finally found his stroke, and the Philadelphia 76ers must start him over J.J. Redick when the veteran sharpshooter returns.
J.J. Redick has missed the last few games due to a slightly fractured leg, and 22-year-old Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has stepped into Redick’s role and thrived. In his last two starts, the Frenchman posted 20 points against the Memphis Grizzlies and 16 against the Milwaukee Bucks, and his athleticism and defensive ability let him offer more to the team than Redick.
TLC’s development into a decent role player started towards the end of the 2016-17 season when he stepped into the role of starting shooting guard late in the season. As a starter last year, he averaged 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
He only shot 31 percent from three all of last year, though. Recently, he seems to have found his stroke. He starred in his last two games, shooting 3-5 from deep against the Bucks and 6/8 from range against the Grizzlies.
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Redick is clearly a better shooter, as he shoots at a higher percentage over a much larger sample size, but TLC’s athleticism gives him a sense of unpredictability offensively. If a defender steps out on him and dares him to drive, he has no problems with that.
His lightning-quick first step makes him look like prime Corey Maggette, but if TLC can shoot a lot better than Maggette’s career three-point percentage of 32.4, then the Philadelphia 76ers have found their two-guard of the future.
The obvious key for Luwawu-Cabarrot’s effort to hold onto his starting spot when Redick returns is consistent shooting, but he needs to impress on the defensive end, too. He and Robert Covington have the potential to become one of the NBA’s most formidable duos when it comes to wing defense with their length and athleticism.
The Sixers will pay J.J. Redick $23 million this year to hit threes and score points, but TLC offers more than that. The team managed to post the third best defensive rating in the league without Luwawu-Cabarrot as a starter, but that rating could go up as his confidence and comfort level grows.
Consistency is key for the 2014 24th overall pick. If his shot keeps falling, Brett Brown would be stupid to not stay with the man with the hot hand who is younger and has a more diverse skill-set on offense than his replacement. Even if TLC’s shooting gets worse in the next few games, he has a great resource in Redick to help him perfect his shot.
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Either way, it’s a win-win for the young wing, but Brown should make his decision on merit rather than seniority and keep TLC in the lineup after Redick returns.