The Philadelphia 76ers took most of the month of March building chemistry with it’s new starting five and have had good success.
Despite injuries this past month, this was the time the Philadelphia 76ers had to build chemistry going to the last stretch of the regular season. Integrating all of the new players from the trade deadline is surely a challenge, but despite that, head coach Brett Brown has led this new core to a 9-5 record in March.
17. Furkan Korkmaz
March Stats: None
Previous ranking: 12th
Furkan Korkmaz has been out since tearing his meniscus in February and having surgery at the end of that month. There was suppose to be some sort of update on his status before the end of March, but there wasn’t.
16. Haywood Highsmith
March Stats: None
Previous ranking: 16th
Yet again, Haywood Highsmith didn’t see a minute of floor action with the Sixers in March. He did officially end his season with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philly’s G-League affiliate, but his season stats didn’t impress. He averaged 12.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.7 turnovers, on 43.0 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent on 3-pointers. His future with the club should be in question.
15. Zhaire Smith
March Stats: GP 1| MINS 6.0| FG% 100.0| 3P% 100.0| TRB 1.0| STL 1.0| PTS 3.0
Previous ranking: 17th
It finally happened, Zhaire Smith finally made his NBA debut against the Orlando Magic. However, don’t expect the rookie to get into the rotation. Outside of blowouts, he probably won’t play in this postseason. He’s just too raw and there isn’t enough time to develop him before the playoffs begin.
14. Justin Patton
March Stats: GP 3| MINS 7.0| FG% 28.3| 3P% 0.0| TRB 2.0| AST 1.0| STL 0.7| PF 1.7| PTS 1.7
Previous ranking: 15th
Due to poor health at the center position, Justin Patton made his Sixers debut against the Magic. He also got minutes against the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers. His best performance came against the Rockets when he finished with four points, one rebound, two steals and three fouls. In this small sample size, Patton showed he isn’t ready to contribute to a contender at this point in his career.
13. Shake Milton
March Stats: GP 2| MINS 19.5| FG% 72.7| 3P% 25.0| TRB 1.0| BLK 0.5| STL 0.5| PF 2.0| TO 0.5| PTS 8.5
Previous ranking: 14th
Due to injuries on the wing, Shake Milton was able to get two games with the Sixers after the end of the G-League season. He impressed with his scoring ability and his best game came against the Magic with 13 points on 6-8 shooting from the field. Last month he had broken his finger, so it’s good to see that it didn’t inhibit his growth.