After a narrow loss that ended their four-game winning streak and their undefeated streak to kick off the season, the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back in a big way, easily beating the Brooklyn Nets on the road and leading them by 24 points on the road. When the visitors came on fire in the second quarter, they never looked back and fell behind again.
As usual, the 76ers enjoyed an impressive performance from Tyrese Maxey, but he wasn’t the only highlight of this game. Both Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. played big games and VJ Edgecombe remained a steady hand for the team. However, the biggest surprise from this match was the all-round performance of Trendon Watford, who had just played his third match with the team after missing the first three due to injury.
Watford, who the 76ers signed as a free agent in the offseason, rounded out the night with a near triple-double in just over 25 minutes, tallying 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. He missed only two of his nine field goal attempts and even knocked down a three-pointer. He literally did it all in this game.
Trendon Watford gives the 76ers something they haven’t had in years
People who watched him in Brooklyn last season know that Watford can put the ball in the basket and defend multiple positions. While he has some useful sense of the game, the 76ers probably didn’t even expect him to be useful as a more frequent release point on offense.
The 76ers haven’t had a true forward who can actually pass the rock since maybe Dario Saric (not counting Al Horford’s one-year cameo), which makes this emergence from Watford very welcome.
Given their current style of play as a collective, the 76ers need someone in the frontcourt who can mobilize them in the open court by pushing the ball and getting the right rebounds. Watford can do both of those things, and he certainly has the necessary skills and basketball IQ to be more than just a glue guy for the 76ers.
Of course, playmaking doesn’t always end in assists, but given the way Watford have been playing, he’s slowly proving to everyone that he has what it takes to make life easier for the team on both sides thanks to his unique blend of skills. Hopefully this one continues and becomes a key part of their scoring attack.
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