Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot

A late-season knee injury limited the second-year wing to 52 games (seven starts) last season. Luwawu-Cabarrot held a rotational role with the Sixers, seeing 15.5 minutes per game. His production was modest, averaging 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and hitting just over a three per contest at 33.5 percent. Now a member of the Thunder due to an offseason trade, Luwawu-Cabarrot’s workload is unlikely to shift significantly. Once training camp arrives, he'll likely be battling Alex Abrines and Terrance Ferguson for backup minutes.

The 76ers selected Luwawu-Cabarrot with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2016 draft, their second pick of the round, after selecting Ben Simmons first overall. Little was expected of him as a rookie, and for most of the season, he made little impact averaging only 11.5 minutes per game before the All-Star break, and playing a few stints in the D-League. However, late in the season, when a rash of injuries decimated the 76ers’ depth, Luwawu-Cabarrot stepped in admirably, averaging 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.2 threes, and 1.4 steals in 34.6 minutes per game over the last nine games of the season. The run at the end of the season flashed the kind of potential Luwawu-Cabarrot has, though it also showed that he still needs to improve – he shot only 42.6 percent from the field during that stretch, and just 31.3 percent from behind the arc. At only 22-years-old, he still has potential to develop into a solid contributor, though he faces much tougher competition for court time in 2017-18. Free agent singing J.J. Redick should take over the starting shooting guard duties. A lot of backup shooting guard minutes are likely to get swallowed by the 76ers positional experiments, in which Simmons as a point guard may force 2017 first overall pick Markelle Fultz to play up a position, or oversized lineups could have Robert Covington at shooting guard. Luwawu-Cabarrot will compete with Nik Stauskas for the title of backup shooting guard, but due to the situation around them, that title may carry few minutes, and very little Fantasy value as long as the 76ers remain healthy.

Luwawu was the second of the 76ers’ first-round picks after top overall selection Ben Simmons, but the 21-year-old is viewed as a fairly raw prospect and isn’t expected to contribute as a rookie. In fact, it wasn’t known if Luwawu would even join the 76ers this season, but after opting out of his contract with Mega Leks of the Adriatic League shortly after being drafted, he officially signed with Philadelphia in July. Coach Brett Brown said earlier in the offseason that he anticipates that Luwawu will spend significant time in the D-League in 2016-17, which should provide the French swingman with ample opportunity to develop the weaker components of his game, namely his perimeter shooting, passing and defensive effort. If Luwawu makes strides in those areas, he could surface as a mainstay in the 76ers’ rotation next season, as he already possesses comparable physical tools and athleticism to some of the league’s established wings.