The Philadelphia 76ers entered the season touting one of the deepest rosters in the league on paper, but as typical with this ball club, it all ended up being akin to a paper tiger. Injuries and untimely declines made that supposed depth turn into fool's gold, and now, some of those depth pieces have been relegated to benchwarmers. Case in point? Look no further than Trendon Watford, who has quickly become forgotten on the team.
Fasn might not have forgotten that he is still on the roster, but the 76ers have basically operated as if that is the case. The newcomer has gotten dropped from the rotation for a few months now, which is a stunning fall from grace for a player who started the season strong and initially lived up to expectations that he can finally help fix the team's woes at the forward position.
Watford has done nothing but rack up DNPs in the playoffs, only getting to sniff the court when it is garbage time. Heck, despite the 76ers being in dire need of production from the bench, Nick Nurse and his coaching staff have never given Watford a nod on the sidelines. There is simply very little trust reposed on the forward, if at all.
The 76ers seem to have given up on Trendon Watford
The 76ers hold a team option for Watford, meaning that they basically are the ones to make the decision if he will remain on the roster for next season. But in account of the squad's disposition on him, there is probably a good shot that he ends up hitting the open market this year instead.
When given minutes, Watford has been productive. In just 16.3 minutes per outing, he logged nightly averages of 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Those are good numbers for someone who was profiled as an all-around player who can be deployed in multiple positions. He was also one of the better defensive guys on the roster.
Unfortunately, the coaches have started to put a premium on spacing the floor in the playoffs, which meant as little minutes as possible for Watford. After all, he has drained just 20 percent of his three-point tries this season, and it also seemed like he just flat-out refuses to shoot threes now. Obviously, that places a limiter on his viability as a contributor for this team.
For now, the 76ers have nothing on their minds than finding a way to get out of an early 0-2 hole in their semis affair versus the Knicks. But sooner than later, they will have to make a decision on Trendon Watford, and at the present, it seems like the conclusion of this saga is an inevitably break-up.
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