Trendon Watford entered Saturday’s Philadelphia 76ers game against the Toronto Raptors with a career average of 7.9 points per game, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Just 48 minutes later, he set three career-highs.
Watford has played six games this season and his versatility should earn him the starting spot for the 76ers. He started against Toronto and posted his first career triple-double of 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, with the latter two categories also being career bests. Philadelphia wanted to play a faster, free-flowing attack and Watford epitomizes this.
Watford’s madness
Watford is not a typical foursome, he is someone who fits more into the ‘point forward’ archetype and that has served the 76ers well. Philadelphia has an offensive rating of 125.5 when he plays, which would rank first in the NBA at 2.8 points per 100 possessions.
Watford’s feel for the game has driven the 76ers’ ball movement and off-ball activity. He averages 13.1 potential assists per 100 possessions, which are passes that would have been assists had his teammate made the ball. This figure ranks at the 92nd percentile league-wide.
Watford has kept Philadelphia’s attack moving with connecting passes, finding cutters and initiating dribble handoffs. His unique talents contributed greatly to Tyrese Maxey’s success against the Raptors, as Watford assisted on 14 of Maxey’s game-high 31 points.
Watford also practices what he preaches.
His off-ball repertoire consists of backdoor cuts and setting ghost screens for ball handlers with the intention of throwing the defender off balance. His transition game is just as compelling. He has the knack of finding players who are leaking, or scoring himself when the opportunity arises. This is a luxury for the 76ers, who rank 15th in the NBA in pace as they look to increase that number.
Watford can do it themselves
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Watford is an effective slasher whether he’s diving to the rim or taking advantage of mismatches. His strength serves him well off the dribble, creating scoring opportunities or driving a double-team.
With career averages of 35.5% shooting from three and 3.7 rebounds per game, some were skeptical of Philadelphia’s July 2 signing. However, Watford is on pace to eliminate these narratives as he shoots 57.1% from deep on 1.2 attempts per game and pulls down 17 rebounds against the Raptors. Although the sample size is small, it is encouraging to see such results.
Dominick Barlow started at power forward in two games played before suffering a right elbow tear on October 25 against the Charlotte Hornets. Philadelphia then cycled in Justin Edwards and Jabari Walker when Watford made their debut against the Washington Wizards on October 28 and stepped up their game.
Now it looks like Watford have and should secure a place in the starting line-up, at least until Paul George returns of the recovery from his left knee injury.
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