NBA Philadelphia 76ers

Tony Wroten’s Reckless Play Is Hurting Philadelphia 76ers

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By @Greg_Sacidor

Bill Streicher - USA TODAY Sports

Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports

Tony Wroten may be leading the Philadelphia 76ers in points and assists per game, but his reckless playing has had a greater effect on the team than any of his offensive numbers.

After losing to the Orlando Magic Wednesday night at home, the 76ers currently stand at 0-5. In their first five games of the 2014-15 season, the 76ers have been competitive with their opponents, but once the fourth quarter begins, the unraveling begins. Common themes soon take place as the 76ers force unnecessary shots and commit silly turnovers, all resulting in an eventual loss. At the forefront of this problem is the starting point guard Tony Wroten.

Five games into the season, Wroten has dazzled the Philadelphia faithful by recording averages of 23.8 points, 7.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. But the biggest number that cannot be overlooked is his 5.4 turnovers per game average. Often in the fourth quarter of games, Wroten makes a spectacular play on the defensive end by either pulling down a big rebound or making a key steal. However, he then negates the positive play by either committing a turnover or forcing a circus shot in traffic.

Wednesday night in Philadelphia’s game against Orlando, this was never so prevalent. Late in the game, with the score evened up at 87, Wroten brought the ball up the court. Once at half, he was met by rookie point guard Elfrid Payton. Instead of trying to get around the young defender, Wroten took a step backwards and committed a backcourt violation. This violation was then followed up by a Tobias Harris layup that gave the Orlando Magic a two-point lead. This was not Wroten’s first time playing out of control down the stretch; he has instead made the same mistake in each of the 76ers’ first five games of the season.

Expectations are low for the 76ers this season as they continue to rebuild their roster. Though, with the franchise recently picking up Wroten’s contract option, it appears that the front office may want Wroten to remain a piece of their young foundation alongside players like Michael Carter-Williams, Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel. But if Wroten hopes to find himself contributing to the team down the line, he needs to fix these reoccurring habits immediately. If he doesn’t, he will find himself getting comfy on the bench, just like he did his rookie season in Memphis.

Greg Sacidor is a Philadelphia 76ers and an NBA writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Greg_Sacidor or add him to your network on Google.

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