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The Philadelphia 76ers have been the hottest team in the NBA of late as they are riding an eight-game winning streak following their Christmas Day victory. However, the journey to tinker with the roster to maximize their potential never stops. This has both this season and the long term in mind. The Sixers took a step toward setting themselves up for long-term success by signing Louis King to a two-way contract as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. In order to make room for the Jersey City, New Jersey product the Sixers waived Saben Lee as first reported by Rich Hoffman of The Athletic.
Who is Louis King?
After growing into a top-25 prospect of the 2018 recruiting class at Northern Burlington Middle School and Hudson High School in New Jersey, King committed to play his college ball at Oregon. In his lone season of college, he averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He stands 6’9″ with an intriguing shot-creation ability. He flashed his perimeter shooting alongside current Celtics’ guard Payton Pritchard and connected on 38.6% of his three-pointers while shooting 4.9 per game.
King was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and entered the NBA draft following the season. He went undrafted but was quickly signed to a two-way deal with the Detroit Pistons. The forward got just 60 total minutes at the NBA level as a rookie but tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals in this time. After being released by the Pistons, King spent time with the Westchester Knicks before signing a two-way deal with the Sacremento Kings.
The 23-year-old bounced around the G League until landing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to start this season. Through the first 18 games this year, King has averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. His three-point percentage has slipped to 31.4% from beyond the three-point arc while launching 7.8 long-range shots per game although he connected on 41.2% of three-pointers last season.
King’s Fit on Sixers
It is disappointing to see Lee go, as he showed an intriguing skillset in his very limited opportunity, but King is the type of player that two-way slots should be used for. He plays like a unique combo of Chris Boucher and Cam Reddish due to his frame and size. The Sixers have lacked this type of player for several years and the current roster still is short on this style of a wing.
Taking this type of low-risk high-reward gamble is exactly what the Sixers should be doing to set them up for long-term success. King is too raw to be counted on for any type of reliable minutes this year, but bringing him into the organization could prove beneficial in the long run. He has put on some weight since coming into the NBA and moves well for his size.
The Oregon product will need to find a way to remain effective in a minimized role, which he has struggled to do thus far as a professional. He also must improve on the defensive side of the ball which has not been his forte thus far. Don’t expect him to make much of an impact this season but King will be a name to keep in mind moving forward. The Sixers’ win-now intentions will make it especially difficult to make a name early on, considering player development is not at the top of the team’s priorities.
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