5 Philadelphia 76ers who need monster second halves to save their jobs

5 76ers who need monster second halves to save their jobs

4. Cameron Payne

Speaking of the backcourt, Melton’s return from injury atop Buddy Hield and Kyle Lowry’s arrivals could phase Cameron Payne out of the rotation as long as Tyrese Maxey is healthy. The veteran has been a steady hand so far, but there are simply too many mouths to feed in the guard positions, and he’s the easiest one to sit out among that group.

That being said, the door isn’t fully closed on Payne still standing on business as a nightly contributor. Maxey has been in-and-out of lineup before the All-Star break, Melton is coming off a long absence, and Lowry is on the twilight of his career. He should realistically still receivbe minutes moving forward, but he’s got to use his minutes to endorse himself to the 76ers as a legitimate backup option next season.

Payne has provided a nice jolt of scoring in his four apperances for Philly so far, but he needs to be much more efficient, particularly from three-point range. His pesky defense has been a plus, and it must continue that way for him to have a better chance at securing more consistent court time to prove himself.