No matter what happens in the next week, Scottie Wilbekin will have some good memories about training with the Sixers leading up to the 2015-16 season.
Battling for a spot on the 15-man roster as a backup point guard, Wilbekin hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and lead the Sixers back from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit.
He’ll always have that.
“That’s something I’m going to remember when I’m old,” Wilbekin said.
But Wilbekin is hoping he has more chances to make some memories with the Sixers. Averaging 10 points per game in five preseason games, the undrafted guard from Florida has shown a much-needed stroke from beyond the three-point line, hitting 10 of 27 shots. He also plays point guard, which is another need for Brett Brown’s Sixers.
But after sitting out of Thursday’s practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine with a sprained ankle and being ruled out for Friday’s preseason finale against the Celtics in Manchester, New Hampshire, Wilbekin’s chances to make the team took a nosedive.
Right?
NBA
“I wouldn’t say so,” Brown said. “His body of work has been good. It doesn’t hurt him. We studied Scottie for a while. He’s been with us in summer league and his body of work has been solid.”
In the Las Vegas summer league, Wilbekin was second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game over five games. He also shot 43.6 percent from the field, mostly from long range with two assists per game.
With just seven assists in five preseason games, it’s fair to categorize Wilbekin as a point guard with two-guard tendencies.
“I saw him as a one a month ago. I see him way more as a combo and I don’t want to tilt on two,” Brown said. “He’s way more of a combo than I thought. That helps him make your team because of his versatility.”
Though he is a skilled shooter and the Sixers are weak at point guard and shooting guard because of injuries to Kendall Marshall, Tony Wroten and Nik Stauskas, Wilbekin’s chances to make the roster are improved greatly.
It also helps that he is getting a better grasp of playing with and against the pick-and-roll offense. In fact, Wilbekin’s growth in mastering the pick-and-roll has been noticed by some of his veteran teammates.
“He’s getting a better feel for the pick-and-roll. A lot of these guys it’s the first time they’ve seen the pick-and-roll and they’re becoming better defenders,” Nerlens Noel said. “Scottie is a good shooter, but I think he’s going to continue to grow with the pick-and-roll.”
Improvement with the pick-and-roll definitely helps a strong shooting point guard like Wilbekin. However, he is quick to mention that he is a point guard before anything else.
“I’m a combo guard, but [point guard] is still my primary and natural position,” Wilbekin said.
The versatility could earn Wilbekin a spot on the roster next Wednesday when the Sixers open the season in Boston. If not, Wilbekin is pleased with what he accomplished in his month with the Sixers.
“I’m feeling good and I’m happy with my effort and happy that I got this opportunity,” Wilbekin said. “I’m just happy I got to have this chance with the team and the staff.”
More regulars in finale
Brown said he plans to give the brunt of the playing time in Friday’s game to the players that will be on the roster for the opener. That means increased minutes for big men Jahlil Okafor and Noel.
However, Brown says the players teetering on the fence will get one last look, too.
“It’s a jigsaw puzzle because you want to get guys out there playing together, especially Jah and Nerlens because they really haven’t played much together,” Brown said. “Then, on another level, you want to see more of the people who are trying to make the team. The balance of that is not clear to me yet. I just know that at the end of the day that’s what I have to get done.”
Wilbekin will be joined on the sidelines by forward Furkan Aldemir, who did not practice on Thursday because of a case of plantar fasciitis. Christian Wood, the undrafted rookie from UNLV who sat out of last Sunday’s game with a sore hamstring, will play on Friday night.
Brown also said he will take a longer look at Jordan McRae as a point guard.
“Maybe we learn something there,” Brown said.