The Philadelphia 76ers made offseason moves over the summer to add depth around stars Joel Embiid and James Harden. The Sixers wanted to upgrade the supporting cast, and they went out and made moves quickly.
On draft night, the team added De’Anthony Melton through a trade. Then they signed PJ Tucker, Danuel House Jr. and Trevelin Queen at the outset of free agency. While maybe only three of these players will have an impact on the floor, Sixers Wire has a bold prediction for all four.
PJ Tucker will lead the team in 3-point percentage
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File
Considering Tyrese Maxey is on the roster — and he shot 48% from deep after the All-Star break — this is a bold prediction. However, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Tucker leads the team in 3-point shooting.
Tucker shot 41.5% from deep in the 2021-22 season with the Miami Heat and, specifically, 39% from deep at those spots which is in the 99th percentile per Cleaning the Glass. Tucker’s 3-point ability would be a welcomed addition to Harden on the offensive end. That number should go up with Harden.
Danuel House Jr. will average double figures in points off the bench
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House Jr. averaged 9.4 points and shot 41.6% from deep for the Houston Rockets in the 2018-19 season while playing next to Harden and coming off their bench. He shot 36.9% from deep in four seasons with the Rockets, so his 3-point shooting ability and experience with Harden should lead to success for House Jr. in Philadelphia.
De’Anthony Melton will set career highs in assists and rebounds
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Melton averaged 2.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds in the 2021-22 season off the bench. The rebounds were a career-high for him, but his career-high in assists is 3.2 from his rookie season. On this Sixers team and with his ability to take care of the ball, he can make a big impact for this team’s bench unit both as a distributor and somebody who can attack the glass.
Trevelin Queen will be in the rotation by the end of the season
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
From the outset, this might seem borderline impossible. How could a player who has 10 games of NBA experience under his belt possibly break through and be in the rotation for a team with championship aspirations?
Well, Queen has accomplished the impossible in his life before so this is just another obstacle he can overcome. He’s physically gifted. He has a crazy work ethic, and he has the will to make a push into the heart of coach Doc Rivers.
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Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire