Philadelphia 76ers: Give Marco Belinelli time to adjust

Marco Belinelli has shown some concerning signs in his first few games with the Philadelphia 76ers, but give it time.

The Philadelphia 76ers are winners of seven straight, moving within one game of the fourth-seeded Washington Wizards ahead of tonight’s matchup with — you guessed it — the Washington Wizards. There’s a lot to be excited about.

One thing that many Sixer fans have been excited about is the addition of Marco Belinelli, a veteran sharpshooter who, in theory, fits the description of what Philadelphia needs most on the bench.

In his first game, Belinelli lived up to that hype, exploding against Miami in the Sixers’ last game before the All-Star break. He scored 17 points en route to a win, providing a much-needed boost with Joel Embiid sidelined.

Since then, however, things haven’t been quite as flawless.

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We saw him take some ill-advised shots in Chicago earlier this week, while a handful of bad turnovers stood out against Orlando Saturday evening. He doesn’t look fully comfortable in the Sixers’ offense yet, and it shows.

Naturally, that will lead to some (very valid) concerns. He’s not a great defender and his offense isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean the signing was bad or that he isn’t a significant addition to this roster. Expect Belinelli to be a factor down the stretch.

Most of that, again, boils down to his comfort level. Even with the All-Star break, Belinelli hasn’t had much time to learn the offense and get acclimated to his new teammates. It’s hard to expect him to nail every action right away.

His turnovers against Orlando featured some dumb passes and poor decision-making, but it’s not like the Sixers’ other reserves haven’t struggled with those very same issues. Once Belinelli has a better understanding of his role and those around him, that issue should subside.

It’s also worth noting that Belinelli put up 15 points on 6-12 shooting in that game, good for a +15 on the night. It was a blowout, but that was the highest plus-minus differential of any Philadelphia player who logged minutes.

In Atlanta, Belinelli’s production went largely unnoticed due to market size and a lack of success. He was playing a similar role, coming off the bench as an spark-plug in an offense that likes to push the pace and move the basketball. He was averaging 11.4 points per game, just shy of his career-high mark.

Granted the Hawks don’t have nearly as much talent as Philadelphia, Belinelli was one of their most potent offensive weapons on a nightly basis. His ability to come off the bench, slither his way into open shots, and carry the load for the second unit helped keep them in games at times.

He’s still capable of carrying that load for the Sixers. He’ll have more help in the form of T.J. McConnell, but his shooting should be a valuable weapon nonetheless. He has his warts and defense will always be an issue, but his resume is worth trusting.

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We’ve seen him have success in multiple situations throughout his career, and there’s nothing to suggest he won’t be an upgrade moving forward for a Sixers team that is weak at his position.