Sixers second-year player Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot still has much to prove

The end of last year’s Sixers season ended well for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, but the second-year guard still has much to prove.

The Sixers played without their top draft pick last season, but Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot tried to prove himself as the sole 2016 draft pick to play for the young Philadelphia squad. The rookie spent some important time in Delaware, despite playing just three games for the 87ers.

Luwawu-Cabarrot seemed to struggle to get on the court in the beginning of the season. It wasn’t until the 60th game in the NBA where he saw consistent minutes. And he impressed. It was one of the many aspects of the 2016-17 season that Brett Brown was applauded for.

The handling of Luwawu-Cabarrot seemed to allow him to develop an innate cutting ability, an attribute that was not apparent pre-draft. He became an impactful bench scorer late in the season, even putting up two 20+ point games in the last month. He seemed to become a promising piece moving forward. Many even projected him to become an eventual starter this upcoming season, prior to the J.J. Redick signing.

Those expectations lowered immensely after what was an underwhelming summer league. There was multiple instances of reported injuries, most notably his collision with Markelle Fultz. He disappointedly will be sitting out of EuroBasket 2017 due to an unrelated injury.

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What he must look forward to is trying to make maximum impact in minimal playing time. In a complete flip from last season, the Sixers backcourt is now filled with competitive talent for Luwawu-Cabarrot. Along with Redick and Fultz, Furkan Korkmaz joining the Sixers may put Luwawu-Cabarrot’s Philadelphia future in somewhat of an unknown.

At 6’6, there is a possibility that he develops the necessary skill set to play the wing position as an undersized forward. And that seems to be the quickest way to more playing time for this season. Besides Robert Covington, the Sixers are lacking in the sense of wing depth.

Now there’s nothing, defensively at least, from last season that would prove him to become a successful perimeter defender while taking on opposing small forwards, but his newly adjusted offensive game suits a Ben Simmons-led lineup well. More consistent shooting and more adept perimeter defense will easily give Luwawu-Cabarrot a unique way of finding minutes, that his other guard counterparts won’t have the luxury of taking advantage of.

A versatile guard/wing is hardly an easy find. As of now, the Sixers should utilize Luwawu-Cabarrot in lineups next to a bigger forward, such as a Justin Anderson. This will minimize, to some degree, his inability to handle stronger forwards. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot must become a player bigger than his body type, and it’s not an entirely impossible task.