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It’s Wroten, not rotten.
The latter would describe the complete opposite play of the sophomore shooting guard this season.
He may not be Michael Carter-Williams, but Washington product, Tony Wroten is no slouch himself. Coming into the season, it appeared that the 76ers had virtually zero depth on their roster, but players like Wroten are emerging into very strong options for Philadelphia, but Wroten is also making a name for himself in fantasy land.
Opportunity
Imagine the type of production we’d see out of Wroten if he were the starter.
He’s only averaging 25.5 minutes per game, but boy, when he gets the chance to start for the 76ers, he certainly takes advantage of it. In six starts this season, Wroten is averaging 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Wroten is also attempting a very healthy 18.6 shots per game during those starts, so you know when he’s the starting point guard, you are going to see a ton of volume. He’s been a borderline must-start option when he’s been the starter, and those in daily leagues have likely inserted Wroten into many lineups, considering how cheap he has been. Carter-Williams has already had his fair share of injuries, and is currently dealing with an infection on his right knee, which has hospitalized him for the last three days. MCW is the future of a team that isn’t expected to contend anytime soon, so it would make the most sense for the 76ers not to rush him back onto the court. Wroten should continue to see terrific opportunity, even when Carter-Williams is active. He’s earned his keep.
Scoring Ability
I’ve been particularly impressed with Wroten’s tendency to avoid settling for difficult jumpshots. Many young players tend to over-dribble, often having to force the worst shot in all of basketball, the long two-pointer. Wroten, however, is in full on attack mode. He’s currently averaging 6.8 drives per game, which ranks 2oth in the league. He has been effective when attacking the rim, sporting a field-goal percentage of almost 45% on said drives. 95 of his total points on the season have come from drives, which is the 14th-most in basketball. Seeing as Wroten is getting to the foul line almost six times per game during contests he’s started this year, there is plenty of scoring opportunity. He may not be the greatest shooter, but he’s certainly improved since college. The Sixers also run more than practically any other team in basketball, sporting a pace factor of 102.1 (most in NBA). If they continue this pace, which they will, Wroten will see plenty of offensive touches, which will result in scoring chances for the talented shooting guard.
Wroten can ball, folks. Roster him if you own MCW, or if you are lacking point guard depth.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
