Drooling Over Potential: Tony Wroten Is Off To A Record Breaking Start This Season
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
While reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams recovers from undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason, Tony Wroten has assumed starting point guard duties in Philadelphia and he has gotten off to a roaring start.
The 76ers are 0-5 after their loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, but Wroten put together another impressive outing. In 35 minutes, the third year pro racked up 27 points, eight assists, five steals, three rebounds, and two blocks on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor. Wroten is now averaging 20.8 points, 7.0 assists and 3.4 steals per game, giving him totals of 104 points, 35 assists, and 17 steals through the 76ers’ first five games of the season.
According to Max Rappaport, writer for Sixers.com, Wroten is the first player since 1985 to put up those numbers in that short of a span.
It doesn’t come as a huge surprise given the situation Wroten is in. He is, by all accounts, the best player on the 76ers right now and is surrounded by players that need to be spoon-fed the ball. He is the only player who can create his shot on a routine basis and is called upon to do everything for the 76ers on both ends of the court.
The fallout of that is Wroten gets all the shots he could ever desire and has a usage rating (31.8 percent) that only a handful of players in the league can match. Naturally, that spikes everything, and not always in a good way. To go along with those gaudy stats, Wroten is averaging 5.5 turnovers per game, ranking him second in the NBA behind Reggie Jackson. According to Basketball Reference, he is turning the ball over 22.3 times per 100 possessions. If he keeps up that pace, he’d shatter the NBA record for turnovers per game.
Wroten’s stats are, without a doubt, inflated by his new role, and that’s concerning for when Michael Carter-Williams returns as the team’s starting point guard. What Wroten’s role will be once that change occurs remains to be seen. He will either be the backup point guard, which will result in less minutes, or play alongside Carter-Williams in the starting backcourt as a shooting guard, which will force into adopting a more backseat role. Seeing as he’s never been a respectable outside shooter — Wroten is a 23.3 percent career three-point shooter — there’s reason to be concerned that they might not mesh.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying that Wroten is off to a great start this season. Sure, there’s a caveat to all those points, assists and steals — he is in a position that allows him to play with the reckless abandon that he needs to thrive, which doesn’t exactly translate to wins. But that fits in with the 76ers’ MO right now. They are where they are today by design — the roster that they have put together is no accident. They aren’t set on winning games or being competitive, and for the likes of Tony Wroten, the opportunity gives them a chance to strut their stuff without the pressure of winning ball games.
Wroten won’t be able to continue putting up these numbers over the entirety of the season, but there’s something to be said about him making the most out of this opportunity. Caveats and all, the way Wroten has been playing as of late has has struck a cord with his head coach, Brett Brown. And, really, that’s all that matters right now.
"“He’s played well enough and good enough,” said Brown of Wroten. “He’s going to have to be on the floor.” Wroten, Carter-Williams could start in Sixers’ backcourt | The Intelligencer."