Philadelphia 76ers: 3 Blue Coats players that shined this season
It seems like an appropriate time to review the success of a few players that were on the Philadelphia 76ers’ G-League affiliate team.
The Philadelphia 76ers have always had a strong relationship with their G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. This season was no different as they used their G-League partnership as a way to get some of their young players valuable playing time. However, not every player on the Blue Coats roster is a member of the Sixers and there were three players that shined with Delaware this year.
To be clear, players like Norvel Pelle, Marial Shayok, Shake Milton, Zhaire Smith, and Jonah Bolden (before he was waived) play for the 76ers and won’t be included in this list. However, I have written articles concerning Shayok’s Blue Coats season and Smith’s development in the G-League, if you would like to read about them after you finish this article.
Due to the fact that the G-League season is over thanks to the coronavirus, it feels like the perfect time to review which players impressed in Delaware and to be clear, this article will cover players that have no direct link to the Philly.
Xavier Munford
At one point early in his career, Xavier Munford looked like he was going to break into the NBA. He made his first G-League All-Star team in the 2015-16 season while also getting his first crack at NBA action that same season with the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Despite putting up solid numbers with Memphis, he didn’t get another shot at an NBA job till the 2017-18 season but barely played for the Milwaukee Bucks that year. For the most part, the New Jersey native has been a G-League journeyman.
He’s always put up exceptional numbers on the G-League level, but it hasn’t translated to a lot of NBA opportunities. This season was his first with the Blue Coats and while he didn’t reach a new peak in his production, he was a legit scoring and passing threat on Delaware’s roster.
Only Shayok and Milton had higher scoring averages than Munford for the Blue Coats this season. Munford also leads the team in assist per game as well. This season, he’s averaged 17.9 points, 5.3 rebounds (career-high), and 5.6 assists (also a career-high), while converting 44.9 percent from the floor and 37.0 percent from the 3-point line.
Based on when I saw him play in person in November of 2019, he’s clearly a score-first point guard. He doesn’t have elite athletism, but he has enough to make in the NBA. He should be a candidate for a two-way contract for the Sixers next season, especially with the hole at the backup point guard position they currently have.