Philadelphia 76ers: Has Marial Shayok proven enough?

Has the Philadelphia 76ers’ second round pick from the 2019 NBA Draft proven enough this season to warrant a legit contract moving forward?

Marial Shayok wasn’t on a lot of radars heading into the 2019 NBA Draft. Despite the lack of recognition, the Philadelphia 76ers still selected him with the 54th pick of the draft. He then took the same path that former second round pick Shake Milton did the year before and signed a two-way contract with the franchise. The only question is, has Shayok done enough to earn a regular contract moving forward?

The G-League season is more than likely over, (according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews of ESPN) and even if the NBA continues after pausing their season due to the coronavirus scare (per Wojnarowski), it seems unlikely that Shayok will receive any more minutes this season. With that in mind, it seems like the right time to reflect on his season and determine if he’s done enough to earn a regular spot on next season’s roster.

He only played in two games in the NBA for a grand total of 10 minutes, so it doesn’t seem there’s no much to take from how he stacks up in the NBA. However, his season with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philly’s G-League affiliate was far more impressive.

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In 36 games, he averaged 29.2 minutes, 22.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, 3.3 turnovers, and 2.3 fouls. He also shot 45.6 percent from the floor, 35.8 percent from downtown, and 88.9 percent from the foul line.

Just from the basic stats, the only negative against Shayok would be his turnover average. However, he probably won’t be handling the ball as much with the 76ers as he did with the Blue Coats this past year, so that probably won’t be an issue moving forward.

Shayok ranked sixth in points per game, second in total points, and first in usage this past year in the G-League. It’s clear that when given the opportunity, Shayok has proven to be a scorer, which is something the Sixers need on the perimeter. It would have been nice if Shayok was more than just an average 3-point shooter, but still, that’s not bad in itself.

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Based on the impressive stats that Shayok had with the Blue Coats this past season, it’s hard to make an argument against him not getting a regular contract for next season with the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, whether or not he gets minutes once he gets a regular deal is a different matter all together, but he’s done enough to earn a legit NBA contract.

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