Breaking Down Philadelphia 76ers' Point Guard Position for 2014-15 Season
It would be difficult for the sun to be brighter than future of the Philadelphia 76ers' point guard position.
That's how good they have the potential to be. It just might not all happen during the NBA's 2014-15 season.
The group is predictably led by the reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams. There were plenty of negatives that came with his game during his freshman campaign, but there's no denying how his positives made up for nearly all of his mistakes and downfalls. Now it's about year two and trying to build on the successful rookie-year foundation.
Casper Ware and Alexey Shved are two more young point guards with more than enough tools to contribute off the bench. The continual story between Shved and Ware will be how they respond to competing for the backup point guard spot.
It won't be a one-time, winner-take-all thing, either.
Here's a look at Philly's three training camp point guards and their 2013-14 stats:
| Player | Minutes Per Game | Points Per Game | Assists Per Game | Rebounds Per Game | Steals Per Game | Turnovers Per Game |
| Michael Carter-Williams | 34.5 | 16.7 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 3.5 |
| Casper Ware | 12.9 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Alexey Shved | 10.5 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
Let's break down how the group played last season, what's been going on this offseason and what to expect moving forward.
2013-14's Surprising Success
Few might have had Carter-Williams taking home the coveted Rookie of the Year award, but it's something he believed he could do from the very beginning.
Philadelphia traveled to the United Kingdom during its preseason basketball schedule, and the Syracuse product had this to say to Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express:
"I’m targeting the All Rookie Team and the Rookie of the Year award. Those are things I believe I’m capable of achieving."
Bold words out of a kid who hadn't stepped foot into an official NBA game, but he was confident in what he could do and failed to disappoint. Carter-Williams would go on to lead all rookies in every major statistical category—points, assists, rebounds and steals—except for blocks.
He did go through some rocky moments, though.
He was turnover-prone like crazy based on his high minutes and a desire to make plays while on the floor. Worst of all happened to come from his shooting percentages.
Shooting 40.5 percent from the field, 70.3 percent from the charity stripe and 26.4 percent from three-point range is just never good for somebody who has the ball in their hands as much as the point guard. Combine those numbers with his work rate, and it's clear how he did more harm than good at times.
Still though, spin it however you want, but it was clear that Philadelphia scored an absolute steal in one of the least-talented drafts in recent memory.
Ware and Shved saw very limited court time for two completely different reasons.
Ware was brought onto the team during the final stretch of the season with two 10-day contracts. Seeing time in nine games isn't good by the NBA's standards, but he showed that he had the ability to be a defensive spark plug while providing points in bunches. Above all else, Ware showed he could play in the NBA despite his 5'10" frame.
Shved was an unknown rookie two years ago who made quite the impact for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2012-13 season, only to see most of his progress disappear in the following year. His minutes were cut from 23.9 to 10.5 per game, and each of his statistics dropped because of it.
Neither Ware nor Shved has the clear upper hand on the backup point guard race, but it's clear we're guaranteed some entertainment in watching the two compete for the spot.
An Up-and-Down Offseason
The offseason is bound to have its positives and negatives, however, this year's felt like a particularly strange one.
Carter-Williams underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right—yes, his shooting—shoulder. He's only been able to compete in non-contact drills, as rehabilitation is his main focus right now.
What's more positive was the fact that he was in attendance and on the bench at nearly every summer league game played by Philadelphia.
It was clear how much it meant to him.
Ware went under the radar for most of the offseason until summer league basketball began. He showed up ready to go and lit the Orlando Summer League up with 18.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game. The numbers are excellent by themselves, but the fact that he led Philadelphia to a championship win means even more.
Then there's Shved, who was brought in through the deal that sent Thaddeus Young to the Timberwolves. He's about as close to being a giant question mark as possible, if it weren't for one big game in a very big situation.
Shved was the catalyst in Russia beating Argentina during the 2012 Olympic bronze-medal game as he caught absolute fire, finishing with 25 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. If the Sixers are able to get that kind of play out of him, then there's no telling how important his role off the bench will be.
Consider the fact that he has the ability to play next to Carter-Williams if possible because of a nearly identical 6'6" frame, and he could mean even more.
It's a little difficult to pin down exactly how the point guard situation in Philadelphia improved. What's clearer, though, is that Carter-Williams being healthy entering the regular season has to be viewed as the most important situation.
If he is, then he could potentially have quite a bit of help off the bench when the time comes.
Managing this Year's Expectations and Growth
Then there's the future.
If we're honest, then it's not crazy to think about Carter-Williams as a future NBA All-Star. Barring any further injury, it's not really a matter of if, but more of when he'll get there.
It would be surprising to see it happen this season, though, as the Sixers will still be one of the league's worst teams. Even with that said, don't expect his numbers to take much of a hit or decline at all unless his body is preventing him from playing the game at his highest level.
Ware and Shved bring dynamic bench play at a time where it's never been more important to have a second unit that can come in and have no fall-off.
Will either of them win Sixth Man of the Year? Definitely not.
Still though, it's incredibly encouraging to see Ware coming into the year looking as good as he does, and Shved is potentially a few tweaks away from finding something similar to his previous Olympic form.
Out of all the positions on the roster, Carter-Williams' play from last year makes the point guard position one of the most stable and talented on the team.
It’s now time for the rest of the squad to catch up because that could be a truly special situation.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
