NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
It did not take long for LeBron James to make his imprint on the Sixers’ roster construction. The last player Philadelphia signed to a standard contract this offseason was 13-year veteran and two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Most known for his stops with the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, KCP made his name as a prototypical 3-and-D wing that’s become so sought after in today’s game. The last two seasons haven’t been very kind to him. As the league’s backup plan to signing Paul George in the 2024 offseason, Caldwell-Pope landed with the Orlando Magic on a three-year, $66 million deal.
Advertisement
After one underwhelming season there, he was used as salary to acquire Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. Last season in Memphis was one of the worst of his career. He averaged 8.4 points per game, his lowest since his rookie season. It had been 10 years since he shot as poorly as his 41% field goal percentage and 31% from three on 3.4 attempts per game. The Grizzlies bought out the final year of his contract, allowing him to sign with the Sixers for the veteran’s minimum.
It’s fair to note that Caldwell-Pope had surgery on his right pinky, ending his season in February. The procedure was to “address the misalignment of the finger.” We’ve become painfully aware around these parts of how a pinky injury can affect a player’s jumper.
So how much should the Sixers expect from a guy who’s washed out of his last two teams, signing on to chase one last ring? If the Sixers are getting the version of Caldwell-Pope that was in Orlando and Memphis, the answer is not very much. Caldwell-Pope’s minutes will of course come at the 2 or 3 position on the wing. That could mean he’s competing with Anfernee Simons, depending on how Nick Nurse shuffles his guards, as well as Justin Edwards and potentially Dean Wade.
Edwards has been a flat out better shooter than Caldwell-Pope his last two seasons. KCP’s reputation as a defender is far greater than anything Edwards has accomplished on that end so far, but he’s been less effective on that end as well as time catches up to him.
Advertisement
The hope for…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/klutch-reunion-just-kentavious-caldwell-141545639.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-09-22 14:15:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
