Philadelphia 76ers: Isaiah Joe’s promise was kept after all
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Isaiah Joe after all.
When rumors arose that Isaiah Joe had a verbal promise to be selected by the Philadelphia 76ers, it generated mixed results among the team’s fanbase.
Sure, Joe, in theory, checked all of the boxes Daryl Morey looks for in a developmental two-guard – a high-volume shooter who attempted 10.6(!) 3 points a game – but would the Sixers really commit a premium asset to a guard who shot below the NBA 3 point average from the college line?
Well, as it turns out, the answer was no.
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When pick 21 was on the clock, the Sixers were able to land Tyrese Maxey, a borderline lottery pick out of a crew of solid options, including everyone from Tyrell Terry to Desmond Bane, and arguably walked away with the best name of the bunch.
The team then drafted a pair of prospects in French point guard Theo Maledon and Colorado power forward Tyler Bey, but both were already committed to other teams in trades – with Maledon headed to OKC as part of the Al Horford trade and Bey on his way to the Dallas Mavericks with Josh Richardson in the team’s two-for-one trade for Steph Curry.
While this must not have felt too good for Joe, as he presumably assumed he’d already have been off the board by pick 37, Joe stood pat, bided his time, and was ultimately rewarded for his efforts with a second-round selection by the Sixers 49th overall.
To quote Bill De Blasio’s 2018 re-election slogan, “promises made, promises kept “.
Now joining a jam-packed guard rotation featuring four other new faces and counting, Joe can sit back and learn from some of the better shooters in recent NBA memory in Green and Curry, while presumably also earning playing time in the G-League on the Delaware Blue Coats under the watchful eye of new assistant general manager Jameer Nelson.
Regardless of whether or not Joe signed a full-on four-year, rookie-scale contract, a one-year, K.J. McDaniels-style prove-it deal, or ultimately has to grind it out on a two-way contract; Joe is on the right team for his particular set of skills without a doubt.
With, and I can’t repeat this enough, absolutely no conscionable reason to have to contribute right away, Joe has a chance to further develop his game under the watchful eye of the Sixers’ new and improved coaching staff to really crack through the ceiling of his 3-and-D potential.
If that happens in 2020, great! That means he beat out some legitimately talented shooters for minutes of a team with serious playoff aspirations. But if not, it’s all good; Joe can tear it up in Delaware alongside Marial Shayok and company.
Next. Tyrese Maxey and Ben Simmons form a dynamic duo. dark
Either way, this is the sort of developmental shooter the Sixers have had great success finding over the past few years, so at the very least, Joe is in good company. Good luck, Isaiah Joe; I’m glad things worked out the way you wanted, even if it took a roundabout journey to get there.