The breakout of this two-way 76ers guard is oddly falling under the radar

With the Philadelphia 76ers extremely short-handed, their misfortune has opened up many opportunities for their younger players. Jeff Dowtin Jr. is attempting to make the most of this situation – catching fire in his last few games and emerging as a staple of Philadelphia’s depleted offense. However, fans have seen this cycle from Dowtin before, which is why his uptick in production has largely gone unnoticed. 

In his last five games, Dowtin averaged 17 points per game on 68.3% true-shooting, 2.8 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, and 1.2 steals. Within this span, he recorded two 20-point performances – including a career-best 24 points in the 76ers’ 112-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 14th. 

Jeff Dowtin Jr.'s struggles with the 76ers

With such efficiency, it’s easy to be impressed with Dowtin, but considering trends displayed throughout his career, this stretch is likely fool's gold. Throughout his four-year career, Dowtin has developed the reputation of being a player who can dominate in the G-League, Summer League, and garbage time NBA minutes. However, when Dowtin is presented with a legitimate opportunity with the 76ers, he has largely been underwhelming. 

Dowtin has appeared in 35 games for Philadelphia this season where he posted per-game averages of 5.8 points on 56% true-shooting, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 rebounds. Meanwhile, with the Delaware Blue Coats, he’s posting 24.4 points per game on 48.5% shooting from the field and 3.7 assists per game this season. 

Why Jeff Dowtin Jr. is yet to cement himself into the NBA

The biggest culprit for Dowtin’s inability to properly translate to the NBA is his lack of portability. His skill set is highly dependent on three-level shot creation and pick-and-rolls – meaning that he struggles to make an impact without the ball in his hands. 

Throughout most of the season, Dowtin was the 76ers’ third-string point guard – behind Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry, which prevented him from carving out a consistent role. When Downtin did get minutes, he struggled to adjust to NBA defense, which is naturally more challenging than those in the G-League.  

Originally, Philadelphia signed Dowtin to a two-way contract in March 2024 and remained with it for the rest of 2023-24 as his contract was converted into a standard NBA deal. Later, he shined on the 76ers during the 2024 Summer League, which led them to offer him another two-way deal for this season. 

Dowtin’s case is far from an anomaly as there are dozens of G-League players who struggle to adjust to the difficulty of the NBA – it's the highest level of basketball in the world after all. Still, Dowtin – at 27 years old – is relentlessly competing for a permanent home in the association and his determination should be appreciated and inspiring.