Raul Neto: Need an Ironman
If you go on the assumption of some, that Ben Simmons is not really a point guard, when all the craziness of the July free agency period settled down, the Philadelphia 76ers had a slight problem.
They literally had no point guard.
Were not talking about a bad one, or a poor defensive one; with the departure (sob) of scrappy T.J. McConnell, they had not a single player whose main position was point guard.
That was a problem.
General Manager Elton Brand solved the problem on July 12 with the signing of Raul Neto.
"“By adding Raul to our roster, we’ve gained an experienced and valuable veteran who is a tremendous passer with great court vision,” Brand said in a press release. “We’re fortunate that he’s now a member of the 76ers and we’re eager to integrate him into our team.”"
Neto became unnecessary after four years with the Utah Jazz when they traded for Mike Conley Jr.
Neto is a solid point guard with a decent long-range shot (37.7 percent career from three-point distance) and has international experience. He played for Brazil in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Key stat: 118 out of a possible 246 games played in three seasons
To quote former Eagles coach Chip Kelly: “The best ability is durability.”
A slick, smart point guard with the capability to knock down a three is a perfect fit for the new-look Sixers. However, if Neto continues to be plagued by injuries, he cannot help anyone.
To his credit, Neto realizes this and is working this off-season in Los Angeles on his conditioning.
A healthy Neto would certainly help the Sixers.
Trey Burke: The next Allen Iverson?
Signing a 6-foot-1 guard in late July to a partially guaranteed one-year minimum contract for what is most likely the final spot on the roster might not seem like big news. However, when the 76ers announced on July 25 they had signed Trey Burke, there was a lot of rejoicing about his coming to Philly and treated in some corners as a great pickup.
Keith Pompey even referred to the 2013 National College Player of the Year out of Michigan as a ‘coveted’ point guard. While playing for the Spartans, some thought Burke would evolve into the next Allen Iverson.
That projection has not quite been born out.
After being the No. 9 overall pick in the 2013 draft (with Burke taken, Portland at No. 10 had to settle for C.J. McCollum), he has bounced around, from Utah to Washington to the Knicks and finally shipped to Dallas for the last few months of the 2018-19 season as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Key stat: 42
On a couple of occasions, Burke has flashed the ability to play like an Iverson. The biggest moment came in March, 2018, when he poured in 42 points and added 12 assists for the Knicks in an overtime loss to Charlotte.
Burke erupted again last November. This time Burke was ‘AI-like’ against the Boston Celtics, one of the top defensive teams in the NBA.
At the time, the Celtics were considered the best team, by far, in the Eastern Conference, but Burke dropped 29 points, 11 assists and had six rebounds in a 117-109 stunning Knicks victory at the Garden.
With the game on the line, Burke dropped a ‘dagger’ three-pointer to seal the win.
If you looked at his performance against Charlotte and Boston, you would think the Sixers got a major steal in Burke.
However, one must balance those games with other facts. Utah in the 2016-17 season had both Neto and Burke as well and coach Quin Snyder went with Neto, which did not go over well with Burke, who was dealt to the Wizards for a second-round pick at the end of the season.
Things went downhill from there. A couple of years ago, Burke could not even find a job in the NBA and was playing for the Knicks’ G-League team, before his play got him promoted to the big club.
Being so small, defense has always been a problem for Burke. However, one weakness the Sixers have is a lack of players who can create their own shot. Due to the lack of playmakers, there will be times during the course of the season when the 76ers’ offense will go stagnant. That is when the 42-point version of Burke will be needed.