Sporting a corner stone center in Bynum and a few new pieces, the Sixers now look to point guard Jrue Holiday. Set to make about $2.67 million this year, Holiday can opt for restricted free agency. With wrinkles such as the ability to match contract offers, the Sixers have some sort of control in the event that a deal is not reached by the October 30th deadline. But, it seems reasonable to assume that the Sixers want to lock their young PG up while they can.
Though unquestionably talented, Holiday hasn’t quite risen to the levels of his potential yet. With that being said, he’s still an attractive asset for just about any team. The UCLA product sported healthy averages of 14 ppg, 6.5 apg, and 4 rpg in his 2010-2011 season. His 2011-2012 year showed a hint of regression at 13.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 3.3 rpg. Considering Holiday is all of 22 years old as the 2012-2013 season starts, those numbers can hardly be considered a setback.
The signing of Andrew Bynum is expected to help further develop Holiday into the floor general the club sees in him.
“Jrue Holiday is getting better all the time,” assistant coach Brian James said after Saturday night’s scrimmage at St. Joe’s Hagan Arena. “This is his team to lead.”
Via CSNPhilly.
In Bynum the Sixers present Holiday with the anchoring that Philly has missed. The center position hasn’t been a star-studded one for the Sixers of late, the most memorable recent candidates being Samuel Dalembert and a declining Theo Ratliff. With Holiday’s unique blend of speed, vision, and size, there is a chance at mutual amplification of the statistical kind.
Or, Philadelphia can opt to low-ball their young star, allow him to refuse a qualifying offer, test free agency, and probably get scooped up by a team willing to spend on a skilled 22-year old. The Sixers’ future is only as bright as their young players. Letting a big, fast PG go in a league league that is starting to be ruled by big, fast PG’s wouldn’t be very forward-thinking.
Mohamed Abdihakim is a journalism student at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Phoenix Suns fan, who is not prepared for the possibility of Nash winning a title in a Lakers jersey. Mohamed is also a contributor at “Les Snobs”. Interests include International basketball, Mad Men, and blues music. Nearly all stats are credited to Hoopdata or Basketball-Reference.
Twitter handle: @Abdi_hakim
