Villanova Basketball: Omari Spellman looks solid in Philadelphia return

Former Villanova basketball star Omari Spellman made his pro return to the City of Brotherly Love on Monday when the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Atlanta Hawks.

This time next week, the Villanova basketball team will begin their quest to repeat as champions with a game at home against the Morgan State Bears. However, the main focus surrounding Villanova on Monday night was the return of former player Omari Spellman, who happened to be in town since his team in the Atlanta Hawks was facing the Philadelphia 76ers.

Along with a few other of his former teammates, Spellman made quite the splash back in June during the NBA Draft when the Hawks decided to use a first rounder (No. 30) on the forward.

Many questioned the decision by Spellman to leave the Wildcats after only one year of action, but also when seeing how he was leaving school as a national champion along with the fact that his stock was high from an impressive tournament run, deep down it made sense.

After averaging 10.9 points to go along with eight rebounds per game during the 2017-18 season, Spellman came up big when the Wildcats needed him the most during March Madness to help them win their second title in three seasons.

Just look at the Final Four meetings (15 points with 11 rebounds against Kansas, eight points with 11 rebounds against Michigan), and how Spellman made his presence felt, making it easier to see why he made the decision to join the NBA.

As for how Spellman has looked so far in Atlanta, well like most rookies, it’s clear he’s a work in progress still, but it’s good to see him take advantage of the playing time he’s been receiving so far.

Overall, Spellman is averaging 8.2 points per game and 4.6 rebounds so far as a rookie while seeing an average of around 17 minutes each time. But since Monday’s game was a little extra special since Spellman was returning to the city he helped the Wildcats bring home another title to, it was great to see him play as great as he did.

Since the Sixers were able to finish on the winning end 113-92, it was easier for the fan base to appreciate the 11 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes of action.

Once again, as mentioned before, some questioned the decision by Spellman to leave Villanova as early as he did, but if Monday was a sign over what to expect moving forward, the Hawks appear to have quite the special rookie who is only going to get better with experience.