Philadelphia 76ers: Whatever happened to Nik Stauskas?

After appearing in 80-games for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, Nik Stauskas has only played 18-minutes of basketball this season. What gives?

For all of the talk about the Philadelphia 76ers doing Jahlil Okafor dirty, why is there no chorus of detractors rallying against the misuse of another top-10 draft selection, Nik Stauskas?

While far from a transcend talent, the former Michigan Wolverines sharpshooter went from averaging 9.5-points in 27.4-minutes-per-game, both career bests, to averaging 1.8-minutes-per-game with seven DNP’s. Oh yeah, and he’s averaging .4-points-per-game over the team’s first 10 games.

0.4.

Once lauded as a corner specialist, Sauce Castillo has yet to even attempt a 3-point shot this season and has only scored four points in 18-minutes of action.

So what gives, what happened to Stauskas?

Well, simply put, he’s become a victim of the numbers game.

With new acquisitions Markelle Fultz, Jerryd Bayless, and J.J. Redick logging serious minutes for the 76ers this season, and players like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Justin Anderson and T.J. McConnell all receiving priority over the Stauskas, the former-Wolverine been trapped on the bench without much hope of the situation changing anytime soon. Of the 76ers’ 15 players on their active roster, only Furkan Korkmaz has seen less playing time.

While Stauskas does bring some versatility as a utility bench player for the team, being able to play shooting guard, small forward and even point guard if needed, he hasn’t excelled at any one of these positions, and likely won’t have a chance to do so anytime soon.

Currently, in the final year of his rookie contract, the former Sacramento King will likely be looking for work elsewhere after the season and is unlikely to spark a serious bidding war for his services.

Realistically, the Sixers will likely look to unload Stauskas for a second-round pick or fringe player around the NBA trade deadline, as a favor for his commitment to the team over the last three seasons. While there isn’t a spot for his on this team, a team like the Houston Rockets, the Toronto Raptors or the New Orleans Pelicans could use a cheap shooter off of the bench who can player 10-15 minutes a night and shoot a couple threes in relief of their starting core.

But hey, it’s not all bad.

Next: Is T.J. McConnell a keeper for the Sixers?

While Stauskas has been a pleasant surprise for the 76ers, the real prize of the Stauskas trade was the ability to swap picks with the Kings in 2016 and 2017 and the ultimate prize, their unprotected 2018 draft pick. This swap and the pick ultimately allowed the team to trade up to acquire Fultz and will guarantee that the team has at least one first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, even if they make the playoffs.