Kendall Marshall Would Be a Great Fit

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

If we’re learned one thing during Sam Hinkie’s tenure as Sixers GM, it’s that he’s always looking to make the next move. So when a rumor comes along about a potential addition to the Sixers roster, we have to take notice.

The #sixers have expressed interest in free agent G Kendall Marshall, per source.

— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) August 31, 2015

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I would really like this move for a few reasons. First, Marshall would help the spacing around those Jahlil Okafor post-ups which look to be the hub of the offense this season. The former Tar Heel has shot above league average from three at 37.7% over his first 3 years in the NBA.

More importantly though, Marshall would stand out among the current group of options for the Sixers as a true pass-first point guard. After putting up an otherworldly 43.22 AST% at North Carolina, Marshall’s innate passing skills have carried over to the NBA, where he’s tallied a 38.4 AST% across his career. For comparison, Tony Wroten is at 25.6% at the pro level, Isaiah Canaan is at 17.6%, Pierre Jackson accrued a 24.21 AST% mark in the D-league, and Scottie Wilbekin sat at 22.29% in college. The only guy who was even somewhat close to Marshall was TJ McConnell, who had a 31.63 AST% in college, but the jury is still out on whether he can hang against true NBA competition.

That pass-first mentality would greatly benefit the Sixers, who are trying to develop a pair of big men in Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. We saw first-hand the impact a passing point guard can have just last season, when Noel’s game blossomed following the insertion of Ish Smith into the starting lineup. If helping that pair along is the Sixers’ number-one priority this season, it would behoove the team to do everything possible to put them in a position to succeed.

The reason Marshall is still a free agent is the fact that he just suffered a torn ACL in January. However, the Sixers have certainly shown no qualms with acquiring injured players under Hinkie’s regime; plus, although he’s expected to be ready for camp, if he were to miss the first part of the season, that’s not as big a deal for a rebuilding franchise with no short-term aspirations. The Sixers also already had a first-hand look at Marshall when he excelled during a short stint with the Sevens D-League affiliate in the 2013-14 season, before being scooped up by the Lakers.

All in all, Marshall seems like exactly the sort of player the Sixers should be targeting: a former lottery pick who is still young and, like Bryan Mills, has a particular set of skills that could be beneficial in the right role. I like the idea of Marshall as a Sixers; we’ll see if anything comes to fruition.