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Hardwood Paroxysm: 7 young players we’re excited to watch in 2015-16

By HP Basketball Network

Dec 9, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Anthony Morrow (2) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) drives the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Anthony Morrow (2) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 8, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nik Stauskas (10) reacts after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nik Stauskas (10) reacts after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Can Sauce Castillo Spice Up the Sixers?

Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) — Hardwood Paroxysm

Nik Stauskas failed to get his NBA career off on the right foot last season, averaging just 4.4 points on 36.5 percent shooting with the Sacramento Kings. While playing for three coaches as a rookie could have contributed to his struggles — it’s hard enough for a rookie to learn one system, much less three — Stauskas’ underwhelming performance caused the Kings to quickly sour on him. When your rookie-year highlight is a closed-captioning error leading to a new nickname, that says it all.

The Philadelphia 76ers took advantage of Sauce Castillo’s tumble down Sacramento’s depth chart, prying him away in a salary dump this offseason. Suddenly, Stauskas has a second chance to make a splash on the NBA scene. And unlike in Sacramento, where he was forced to battle with an incumbent 2-guard (Ben McLemore) for minutes, the Sixers’ backcourt depth chart is constantly in flux.

At the moment, it’s completely unclear who will be starting at either backcourt position for the Sixers on opening night. The team has four nominal point guards under contract — Tony Wroten, Isaiah Canaan, Pierre Jackson and T.J. McConnell — none of whom necessarily fit the traditional pass-first floor general mold. Wroten can slide to the 2 at times, but beyond that, Hollis Thompson is Philly’s only other obvious option at that position.

In other words: Stauskas won’t be short on opportunity in Philly. And given his proclivity for handling the ball and creating offense on his own, the Sixers’ dearth of reliable point guards could only further be to his benefit. If he can regain his shooting stroke — he knocked down 44.1 percent of his 390 three-point attempts during his two seasons at Michigan — Sixers head coach Brett Brown won’t be able to take him off the court.

Though the Sixers had the league’s worst offense by far last season, they ranked seventh in pace and fifth in three-point rate. Their offensive philosophy was sound; they simply didn’t have the players to make good on it. With Jahlil Okafor likely to consistently command double-teams down low this upcoming season, Stauskas should have no shortage of open looks behind the arc. If he can make good on those chances, he could help usher the Sixers’ rebuild forward.

Next: Zach LaVine

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