Brandon Garland and James McNeill go one-on-one answering this week’s questions.
1. Are the 76ers better than we thought?
Brandon: The 76ers are, in fact, better than we thought they were. I recently predicted that they’d be the worst team in the league, a prediction that I no longer stand by yet don’t feel is far off. In my mind, there isn’t nearly enough talent on the team to keep them relevant. This will fizzle out just as last year’s 7-5 start for the Bobcats did. Though, at the end of the day, that Bobcats team may have had more talent than this Philadelphia squad.
James: This is a tough question, but no, Philly is not better than we thought as a team. In fact, they are playing exactly how I expected, just with more success. This is a result of their players PLAYING better than expected. We all knew they were gonna be mostly Michael Carter-Williams, Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young, but these players have excelled so far, something that I don’t see continuing all season. Philly should just be happy that the pieces they do have are performing and not worry about the overall win/loss record.
2) Is it fair to say that Michael Carter-Williams is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year?
Brandon: Thus far, Michael Carter-Williams is the clear Rookie of the Year. With monster games against Chicago and Miami, the ex-Orangeman looks poised to be a good NBA point guard. His biggest detriment in my eyes before the season was his shooting ability, or lack thereof, about which he has seemed to put to rest the doubts a bit. His sensational on-ball defense was on display in his truly remarkable debut vs. the Heat where he tallied 9 steals. If he can keep playing this well, the Sixers may be worth watching simply for him.
James: It is fair to say that, as the ROTY award commonly goes to players on teams lacking talent who have high usage rates. Michael Carter-Williams has the highest usage rate on the 76ers (26.6%), which is a percentage of team possessions used by a player. This large place in the offense has led to averages of 19.8 PPG, 7.6 APG, 5 RPG, and 3 steals per game. MCW has put up ridiculous numbers thus far, but it’s not just that; he is also playing the most minutes of any 76ers at 35.4 minutes per game. All in all, MCW has the talent to really star, AND Philly is determined to let the kid play.
3) Who will be the better player, Anthony Bennett or Tristan Thompson?
Brandon: At this point in his career, Anthony Bennett hasn’t exactly blown away his competition. In fact, he didn’t managed to score his first NBA field goal until last night’s contest versus the Bucks. Coming into the draft, many saw him as a high-ceiling prospect. Personally I don’t, and didn’t, see him as more than an average NBA starter. Tristan Thompson has averaged a respectable 10 points and 8 rebounds per game so far and has improved his jump shot by switching handedness. It’s close, but I’ll take Tristan Thompson.
James: This question has to be based on potential, as we have seen next to nothing from Bennett thus far. Tristan Thompson had a nice start, but he’s coming back down to Earth since the first two games. Bennett can be the better player as I see him having more potential as a scorer and player, as well as being several years younger than Thompson. Bennett did in college what we expected Thompson to develop over his first few years (post moves, face-up game, shooting), giving Bennett a head start in development.
4) Which lottery star has had the worst start to the NBA season?
Brandon: As mentioned in the previous question, Anthony Bennett did not score a basket through his first four games. He played 68 total minutes during that span, averaging 13.6 per game. Honestly, the inability of a scorer to score in the NBA isn’t a good sign. The inability of the first pick to score his first bucket through the first four games is unheard of. Hopefully for the Cavs and their playoff hopes, Bennett will put it together sooner rather than later.
James: This may be weird after what I just said, but remember I based the other answer on potential as five games don’t make a career. However, it’s pretty hard not to select Anthony Bennett; he didn’t score a FG until his fifth career game and had the least amount of points to start a #1 pick’s career since 1966. He was supposed to be a scorer for his size and hasn’t shown that at all (though his first field goal was a three). He is rebounding less than 4 boards a game and playing under 15 minutes. Maybe he just needs minutes, or maybe this is indicative of bigger issues.
By Brandon Garland and James McNeill
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