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NBA Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers Guard Tony Wroten Deserves to Start

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Philadelphia 76ers guard Tony Wroten has assumed his previous spot on the bench after Michael Carter-Williams returned to action on November 13th and made his first start of the year on the 19th. And while it is safe to say Carter-Willliams was expected to grab his starting spot back once he returned, no one expected Wroten to have played this well. Wroten has been on a tear so far, averaging 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, six assists, and  two steals in around 32 minutes a game.

Wroten got a chance to hit the ground running this season due to MCW’s injury. He still has work to do, but  he proved that he has all the tools to be a very effective player in a certain system. In coach Brett Brown‘s up-tempo offense (second in the league in pace via ESPN.com), Wroten is a free to use his athleticism to become a free-wheeling blur that forces defenses to react.

The main reason Wroten is having this breakthrough season is simply that a coach finally believed in him. Wroten currently sports a top-10 usage rate, which places him right above Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. He also isn’t ball-hogging as much as one would expect. When Wroten is on the floor he assists on 39.8% of Philly’s baskets, which is a mark that would put him in the top-10 in assists percentage, right behind Stephen Curry.

Wroten’s biggest strength may just be his aggressiveness attacking the rim, which when combined with his respectable three-point shot (32%), makes him a nightmare to guard. He is in the top-10 in free throw attempts, though his poor free throw shooting hurts him. His defense is helped by his height (6-foot-6) and his two steals per game ranks him again with the top-10.

Wroten has proved that his handle is tight enough for him to play the point guard spot, but he should probably be avoided due to his ridiculous turnover rate. Now that Michael Carter-Williams is back, Coach Brown needs to start Tony Wroten at shooting guard in order to build chemistry between what should be the backcourt of the future for the Sixers.

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