Mar 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay of Prime Prep Academy poses for a portrait. He is a finalist for the USA Today Player of the Year Award. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Emmanuel Mudiay
Age: 19
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 200 pounds
After the Sixers decided to part ways with former NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams via trade (to the Bucks), the Sixers have have been in need of point guard, because we all know Ish Smith and Tony Wroten aren’t the answer. Insert Mudiay, and the point guard situation may just be shored up for the next several seasons.
On a team whose leading scorer was Wroten (16.9 ppg last season), Mudiay’s aggressive style of play should fit in nicely, and provide the Sixers with some guidance on that end of the floor. Despite starting no games in China, Mudiay averaged 18 points per game, while also dishing out 5.92 assists per game. And if he can even come close to replicating that type of production in his first year, the 76ers are bound to improve on the second-worst scoring offense in the league last season, which averaged a pedestrian 92 points per game.
However, 32.1 percent of the shots the 76ers attempted last year, were 3-pointers. For Mudiay, who shot a decent percentage from outside in China (34.2 percent), jump shooting in general is seen as a weakness. Although it may take Mudiay some time to sharpen his mechanics and become a better jump shooter, he can still help a team that shoots 3-pointers frequently by using his top-tier athleticism to penetrate a defense and suck in perimeter defenders.
In spite of having a substantial room for improvement, Mudiay seems to fit well with Philadelphia because they need an assertive lead guard to create for big men Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. Moreover, the 76ers are in no rush to contend immediately, which bodes well for Mudiay, a player who could take 2 or 3 years to refine his game on an NBA level.
Next: D'Angelo Russell