Tag: dakota mathias

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers 2020-21 roster

Here is the final roster for the Philadelphia 76ers as they head into the 2020-21 NBA season.

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the more intriguing teams in the league heading into the 2020-21 NBA season. The team is led by two young stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and they figure to be in the conversation for championship contention in the Eastern Conference.

That sets the table for Philadelphia’s roster overall which has undergone some dramatic changes following a disappointing 2019-20 season. The team made a couple of big trades on draft night including sending Al Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Danny Green as well as sending Josh Richardson to the Dallas Mavericks for Seth Curry. Those two additions are expected to play a major role when the season begins.

With that being said, let’s check out the full 2020-21 version of the Philadelphia 76ers:

Sixers 3 goals: Dakota Mathias needs to continue to develop for NBA

Philadelphia 76ers guard Dakota Mathias needs to continue to develop down in the G League.

This is a new series we are starting at Sixers Wire where we will be looking at the 17 players that comprise the Philadelphia 76ers roster — 15 under contract and the two players on two-way deals — and give them each three goals for the 2020-21 season.

The 2020-21 season is getting set to begin on Dec. 22 and training camp begins on Tuesday. Now is the time to begin to preview the season and begin to get everybody set for the season.

Up first is Dakota Mathias who was signed to a two-way deal shortly after the NBA draft concluded. Here are his three goals for the season:

Meet Mr. Johnson

Mathias will most likely be sent to the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, whenever they figure out how to get that season going. There, he will meet Blue Coats coach Connor Johnson who will be tasked with continuing to develop him for the NBA level.

Mathias is a shooter which is exactly the skill the team needs right now. He played in 42 games for the Texas Legends in the 2019-20 season and he shot 39.5% from deep and averaged 18.1 points per game. In Delaware, he will be able to continue to work on his game and continue to improve on the defensive end.

Learn from the veterans in camp

Mathias will be in camp when it begins on Tuesday and he will have the opportunity to learn from a few guys who had to go through the G League before making it at the NBA level. Those guys would be Seth Curry and Danny Green who toiled in the G League before getting their break in the NBA and becoming elite shooters in this league. Mathias should soak up as much as he can in camp and continue to stay in touch with them throughout the season.

Grow his body and his game

Mathias is a solid player who has a solid base that should allow him to eventually contribute at the next level. In the past, Johnson was an extension of coach Brett Brown and one can assume that he will be the same with Doc Rivers as he continues to run the program down there. Everything the Blue Coats do is something that can be expected with the Sixers as well.

Along with the 18.1 points with Texas, he also averaged 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists so he can do other things on the floor as well. For Mathias, he will have to become better out on the defensive end of the floor to ensure his opportunity at the NBA level at some point. [lawrence-related id=39626,39620,39617]

Sixers to sign Dakota Mathias to two-way contract, waive Norvel Pelle

The Philadelphia 76ers will sign shooter Dakota Mathias and will waive Norvel Pelle.

The Philadelphia 76ers had a busy draft night on Wednesday when they moved Al Horford for Danny Green and then moved Josh Richardson for Seth Curry. The moves are designed to bring in more shooting to properly space the floor on offense.

The team then selected Arkansas’ Isaiah Joe with the 49th pick in the draft who is known as an elite shooter. Their first-round pick of Tyrese Maxey also has the ability to shoot the ball as well and he is putting in the work to get there.

However, the team is not done bringing in shooters just yet.

According to Derek Bodner of The Athletic, the Sixers are bringing in Dakota Mathias on a two-way contract. Mathias spent the 2019-20 season playing for the Dallas Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends. He shot 39.5% from deep on 8.9 attempts per night.

In another move, the Sixers are also waiving big man Norvel Pelle. He played in 24 games and he averaged 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds with 1.3 blocks per night. His $1.5 million contract would have been guaranteed on Friday so it seems that is why Philadelphia will waive him.

The Sixers need all of the flexibility they can get so that is what president Daryl Morey is trying to do as the team looks to move forward. [lawrence-related id=39314,39307,39304]