With the NBA season on hold, we continue our continuation of the 10 part draft profile series for the Philadelphia 76ers. We have focused mostly on a bunch of shooters, and there will be more shooters to come, but Wednesday’s edition focuses on some more bench help.
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The Sixers need some help at the backup point guard position after losing T.J. McConnell in free agency and the additions of Raul Neto and Trey Burke just not working out. So, why not look at a point guard who can provide some offensive punch off the bench?
Nico Mannion, Arizona
The Sixers bench has been so up and down all season and the only real contributor they can count on for offense is Furkan Korkmaz. Rookie Matisse Thybulle has been elite defensively, but he has not had the same type of impact on the offensive end of the floor while there is no guarantee that Alec Burks returns. That is where Mannion could come in and help.
We all know his weaknesses, he isn’t the most athletic guy in the world, but he does have a scorer’s mentality. It would be a huge pickup for this team if they could have a guy like that off their bench. He gets to the foul line 4.2 times per game and that is a huge asset for any team.
In the latest mock draft put out by Rookie Wire, Mannion goes 17 in the draft to the Boston Celtics.
As the season progressed, Arizona freshman point guard Nico Mannion’s confidence took a bit of a hit as he struggled on the court against tougher competition. But that is one reason why he might be a perfect fit for a team like the Celtics, who already have a star point guard in Kemba Walker. Mannion could take his time to develop under head coach Brad Stevens, while also potentially serving as the backup point if the Celtics do not re-sign Brad Wanamaker.
The reason why Mannion began falling in the draft was his inconsistency with his shot. He shot 47.1% from deep in November, 20.7% in December, 36.1% in January, 23.9% in February, and he was up to 41.2% in March. Those numbers suggest that he has the ability to shoot the ball, but it will require a lot of work and muscle memory to get the right form down.
Considering his limitations, Mannion has time to develop behind Ben Simmons. All the Sixers will ask of him is to not turn the ball over and provide an offensive punch when it’s needed. He can then continue to develop and learn the game a bit more. [lawrence-related id=29425,29413,29406]