Philadelphia 76ers: Langston Galloway, Luke Kennard are B- trade targets
Langston Galloway
By contrast to Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway’s path to the NBA is anything but typical.
A four-year performer at St. Joe’s – but as a Philly fan, you probably already know that – Galloway went undrafted in 2014 and took the road less traveled through the then-D-League as a member of the Westchester Knicks. That lasted all of 19 games, as Galloway quickly earned a call up from the big club and finished out the year a member of the New York basketball Knickerbockers.
From there, Galloway landed bounced around the league from New Orleans to Sacramento before signing a three-year $21 million deal to join the Pistons and fittingly Kennard.
As a member of the Pistons, Galloway transitioned from his natural position as a point guard to an off-ball two, where he slotted into a sixth man, Lou Williams-esque role for Stan Van Gundy, and eventually Dwane Casey.
If the Sixers were to trade for the 27-year-old Louisiana native that is likely the role he’d be asked to fill, but much like with Williams, his presence on the roster – not to mention the court – could be a double-edged sword.
According to ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, Galloway is the 17th highest rated offensive shooting guard in the NBA, but on the defensive side of the ball, he drops all the way down to 100th out of 122 – good for a -.27 overall RPM (62nd overall). Galloway also isn’t the most athletic guard in the league, but unlike Kennard, he’s also lacking in the height department, measuring in at 6-foot-1, albeit weighing 200 pounds.
Furthermore, despite playing point guard for the first four years of his NBA career, Galloway has never averaged more assists in a season than rebounds, and for an on-ball guard, that is a bit of a red flag.
While some of these issues can be glossed over, as truthfully, all non-star players have deficiencies in their games, Galloway’s contract is also a bit of an issue, as the Sixers would likely have to surrender Mike Scott to get a deal done. Say what you will about Scott’s performance this season, but it’s hard to stomach surrendering his contract, and an asset for a player who is a less than ideal fit.
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If Galloway can prove himself a viable second unit playmaker and play well both alongside Ben Simmons and without him, the Philadelphia 76ers could have that second unit combo guard they’ve been looking for since drafting Markelle Fultz in 2017, but statistically speaking, one has to wonder if the St. Joseph’s product is more than a marginal improvement over Trey Burke – a player who is having a more productive season when comparing the duo’s stats per 36 minutes.