Sixers Going Point Guard-by-Committee

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

In baseball, the closer-by-committee approach is something hated in the fantasy community, whose members crave certainty in the saves category, but lauded in analytical circles. The thinking goes that relief pitchers are largely interchangeable because the best pitchers generally stick as starters anyway. Then, if there really is one guy a cut above the rest in the bullpen, he should be used in the highest leverage late-inning situation, or when the best part of the opposing lineup is due up, not just reserved for the 9th inning out of convention. The committee approach also allows the manager to work lefty/righty splits or any other matchup advantages that might be available to him.

With the news over the weekend that Philadelphia signed Scottie Wilbekin to a partially guaranteed, 4-year contract, it’s almost like the analytically-oriented Sixers are trying a similar point guard-by-committee approach. The team now has 5 nominal point guards under contract with Wilbekin joining Tony Wroten, Isaiah Canaan, Pierre Jackson, and T.J. McConnell. Each player brings a little something different to the table, talents which GM Sam Hinkie and Coach Brett Brown will have to sift through when the team heads to training camp in the fall.

A former Florida Gator who played last season in Australia, Wilbekin effectively played an off guard role during his promising summer league stint in Vegas for the Sixers. He rarely controlled the offense, hitting more threes (making 15-33 in the desert) than he recorded assists (10 in 5 games). Isaiah Canaan showed a similar skill set during his half season in Philadelphia, shooting 36.4% from three but displaying little ability to blow by defenders and create offense for others.

At 6’5″, Tony Wroten is the only member of this group with legitimate size for the position. However, he’s still recovering from an ACL injury and even at his best, is more appropriately utilized as an offensive spark off the bench than a true point guard. In limited action with the Sixers at summer league, and in the D-league where he averaged 29 ppg in 2013-14, Pierre Jackson has shown a similar score-first mentality. T.J. McConnell is the only prototypical pass-first point guard currently on the roster, but he lacks any upside as a scorer and while a willing, hard-nosed defender, doesn’t possess the physical profile to jump off the page at you.

Ultimately, the Sixers are unlikely to keep more than 3 of these guys, with McConnell the likeliest cut given he’s only guaranteed a ‘6-figure number’ on his contract. As important as the point guard position is, for Philadelphia, it’s likely just a placeholder this season until the team finds its long-term solution with one of its 4 potential 1st-round picks in next summer’s draft.

However, the most crucial aspect for them this season is making sure their point guards help the development of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. Unlike a young wing, big men are almost entirely reliant on the point guard to get them the ball in positions for them to succeed. We saw the blossoming of Noel’s offensive game first-hand last season when the Sixers finally had a point guard in Ish Smith who was able to drive into the teeth of the defense and create opportunities for Nerlens around the basket. When it comes to the committee this season, even if wins aren’t the ultimate barometer for success for the Sixers, there’s still few things more frustrating than a blown save.