Philadelphia 76ers: Get to know new Sixer Marco Belinelli

After failing to make a splash at the trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers have found additional help in recently waived forward Marco Belinelli.

With the NBA trade deadline now firmly in the rearview mirror, the Philadelphia 76ers have found reinforcements for their playoff run waiting in the wings.

After being held out of the Atlanta Hawks rotation due to trade speculation, eleventh-year winger Marco Belinelli has officially been bought out of his contract and has officially committed to signing with the 76ers according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

With seemingly the entire league having courted the 31-year-old Italian native, his commitment to Philly is a huge get for the team and could be essential going down the stretch.

After failing to agree on a deal to acquire Tyreke Evans from the Memphis Grizzlies, Belinelli and his 37 percent three-point shot could be a welcomed consolation prize for a young team preparing for their first run at the postseason in over half a decade.

Let’s get to know Belinelli and examine why he’s a great fit with the 76ers.

Philadelphia 76ers Marco Belinelli /

Scoring

Over his 11 year career in the NBA, Belinelli calling card has always been his scoring.

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Though not the most prolific shooter from three, only averaging a slightly above league average 37 percent from deep over his 11 career, the Italian native has recorded eight straight seasons where he’s averaged at least nine points per game, including almost 11.5 points a night in 2017-2018, by far the best mark of his career.

With the 76ers currently the reluctant owners of the fifth worst scoring bench in the entire NBA, averaging only 27 points while on the court for roughly 45 percent of each game, the team could seriously use some additional firepower coming off the bench.

While T.J. McConnell has excelled in his new role as the leader of the Sixers’ second unit, averaging a career-high 7.3 points and almost five assists per game, the rest of the bench has struggled to find consistency over the first half of the season.

Adding a reliable, veteran bench scorer like Belinelli to Brett Brown‘s rotation could help to keep the team competitive when J.J. Redick and Robert Covington exit the game, and could help to alleviate some of the pressure on the team’s young wing players down the stretch.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Flexibility

Another intriguing prospect of adding Belinelli to the 76ers roster is his scheme flexibility.

With the Sixers having constructed one of the league’s most unique rosters to accommodate Ben Simmons‘ once in a generation skillset, adding another 6-foot-5 scorer to the team’s roster could be incredibly helpful to the team’s optionality moving forward.

Having played both wing positions throughout his career, Belinelli could be a fit on the court with both Simmons and McConnell in the game and could provide a reliable shot from all three levels of the court.

Though far from a defensive ace, having finished the 2016-2017 with a -1.87 Real Plus-Minus, Belinelli’s still a better defender than Redick, who’s -2.07 rating Real Plus-Minus in 2017-2018 ranks 94th in the league.

While he may not be a player who can log 30-plus minutes on the court each night, Belinelli can be solid wing scorer from the bench, especially with A-plus passers like McConnell and Simmons delivering him the rock night-in and night-out.

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Experience

Finally, the most important thing Belinelli can bring to the 76ers is some additional veteran leadership.

Having played for eight teams over his 11 year NBA career, Belinelli has filled virtually every possible role as a pro, from starting for the seventh seed New Orleans Hornets in 2010-2011, to coming off the bench from 2012-2014 for the 2014 NBA championship-winning San Antonio Spurs, a team that also bosted Brett Brown as an assistant coach in 2012-2013.

While Belinelli’s role on the 76ers would almost certainly be closer to the latter than the former, his experience could be invaluable to the team’s plethora of young, ascending talents, especially for European forwards like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Dario Saric, and Furkan Korkmaz.

Much like Ersan Ilyasova last season, Belinelli could serve as a calming foil when Redick exits the game and can help to keep the team disciplined in fourth quarters of tight games.

Though Belinelli dependability off the bench, and as a spot starter could be invaluable for the team moving forward, his life experience and calming presence could be even more vital for a young Sixers squad who are hungry for a chance to test their mettle in the postseason.

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With Belinelli now committed to the team once he officially clears waivers, the 76ers may have finally found the missing piece to their playoff run, and could finally take that next step in The Process.