Since Andre Miller accepted a three-year contract offer from the Portland Trail Blazers Friday, the Sixers can now move forward with filling out their own roster, which currently stands at 10.
Some would say the organization had long moved on from Miller, a free agent who had two and a half great years in Philadelphia – but was never going to be that one player who would enable the team to compete for a championship.
Ironically, Miller could be just that for a talented, young Blazers squad that won 54 games last year.
Now, it’s up to Lou Williams to step up.
“I’m prepared for it,” said Williams of the Sixers’ starting point guard position. “It’s something I feel I’ve been prepared for, for a long time.”
The 21-year-old Williams, a score-first guard, is coming off his highest scoring average of his four-year NBA career – 12.8 – but he shot just 39 percent from the floor and only 28 percent from three point range, both career lows.
His assist-to-turnover ratio was just 1.6 last season, which didn’t come close to cracking the top 50 in the NBA. Former Villanova standout Randy Foye had the honor of being No. 50, with a 2.02 ratio.
Still Williams’ departure from sixth man and arrival at starter appears to be an issue of here-and-now, and Williams knows it.
“I spoke to Ed [Stefanski] a couple of times about it on the phone,” Williams said. “And my message has been the same: you give me an opportunity and I am going to do my best to take full advantage of it. This has been one of the more challenging summers for me.”
Those challenges include a physical, mental and emotional approach to working out as if he were in the regular season. He also added tape work to his routine.
“I have been watching a lot of old games. Chris Paul games, a ton of Chauncey Billups. Just seeing how those guys take over games’” Williams said. “I also watched a couple young guys like Derrick Rose and Rajo Rondo – just to see how those guys are reacting to certain situations at the beginning and end of games looking to see what’s expected of a starter.”
One person is easing Williams’ transition to starting point guard: Coach Eddie Jordan, whose offensive system Williams believes will take pressure off him in his new role. He said he can already see this in their summer drill work.
Williams does have one request from the Philadelphia fans, however: “Don’t expect Andre Miller out of me. I am not that type of player.”
Stars that spangled
Stefanski was in Las Vegas to watch a minicamp for USA basketball late last week, which included two of his players: Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young.
Iguodala played “very well,” Stefanski said, adding that Young was feeling his way as a first-timer.
Stefanski returned to Philadelphia Friday so he was not on hand in Las Vegas to see Young shoot 6-9 in an exhibition game Saturday night. But the most eye-catching performer in Stefanski’s opinion was Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City.
Work to be done
Stefanski was no closer to revealing on Saturday at the 10th annual Sixers Bash what veteran guards he was targeting to fill the roster spot vacated by Andre Miller.
Names that are thought to be under consideration are Juan Dixon, Tyronn Lue, Bobby Jackson, Jason Hart, Brevin Knight and Luther Head.
Some would say the organization had long moved on from Miller, a free agent who had two and a half great years in Philadelphia – but was never going to be that one player who would enable the team to compete for a championship.
Ironically, Miller could be just that for a talented, young Blazers squad that won 54 games last year.
Now, it’s up to Lou Williams to step up.
“I’m prepared for it,” said Williams of the Sixers’ starting point guard position. “It’s something I feel I’ve been prepared for, for a long time.”
The 21-year-old Williams, a score-first guard, is coming off his highest scoring average of his four-year NBA career – 12.8 – but he shot just 39 percent from the floor and only 28 percent from three point range, both career lows.
His assist-to-turnover ratio was just 1.6 last season, which didn’t come close to cracking the top 50 in the NBA. Former Villanova standout Randy Foye had the honor of being No. 50, with a 2.02 ratio.
Still Williams’ departure from sixth man and arrival at starter appears to be an issue of here-and-now, and Williams knows it.
“I spoke to Ed [Stefanski] a couple of times about it on the phone,” Williams said. “And my message has been the same: you give me an opportunity and I am going to do my best to take full advantage of it. This has been one of the more challenging summers for me.”
Those challenges include a physical, mental and emotional approach to working out as if he were in the regular season. He also added tape work to his routine.
“I have been watching a lot of old games. Chris Paul games, a ton of Chauncey Billups. Just seeing how those guys take over games’” Williams said. “I also watched a couple young guys like Derrick Rose and Rajo Rondo – just to see how those guys are reacting to certain situations at the beginning and end of games looking to see what’s expected of a starter.”
One person is easing Williams’ transition to starting point guard: Coach Eddie Jordan, whose offensive system Williams believes will take pressure off him in his new role. He said he can already see this in their summer drill work.
Williams does have one request from the Philadelphia fans, however: “Don’t expect Andre Miller out of me. I am not that type of player.”
Stars that spangled
Stefanski was in Las Vegas to watch a minicamp for USA basketball late last week, which included two of his players: Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young.
Iguodala played “very well,” Stefanski said, adding that Young was feeling his way as a first-timer.
Stefanski returned to Philadelphia Friday so he was not on hand in Las Vegas to see Young shoot 6-9 in an exhibition game Saturday night. But the most eye-catching performer in Stefanski’s opinion was Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City.
Work to be done
Stefanski was no closer to revealing on Saturday at the 10th annual Sixers Bash what veteran guards he was targeting to fill the roster spot vacated by Andre Miller.
Names that are thought to be under consideration are Juan Dixon, Tyronn Lue, Bobby Jackson, Jason Hart, Brevin Knight and Luther Head.
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