Morey Makes Another No-Nonsense Addition
The 76ers signed 35-year-old forward Anthony Tolliver to a ten day contract on Saturday, giving the veteran a chance to prove his worth as an outside threat hoping to provide some depth in Philly’s front-court.
Since entering the league in 2007 as an undrafted free agent, Tolliver has played for 14 different teams before joining the Sixers. He hasn’t seen any action since the 2019-20 season, when he spent time in Memphis, Sacramento, and Portland.
Tolliver offers a perimeter shooting threat at the backup power forward position, as he’s shot 37.3 percent from beyond the arc with more than 65 percent of his field goal attempts doubling as three point attempts.
76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey made a no-nonsense move at the trade deadline by acquiring George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and many expected them to follow up with being aggressive in the buy-out market.
After missing out on some bigger names at the backup big man spot (Griffin, Aldridge, Dieng) and remaining somewhat quiet in the buyout market, Tolliver is somewhat underwhelming signing among 76ers fans.
However, Tolliver is a big man who can shoot from outside and if good enough, could potentially replace the services of Mike Scott, who has yet to rebound from last year’s slump.
Also, a backup forward who is a threat from outside is a good fit to play alongside 76ers backup center Dwight Howard, who is good at what he does well (rebounding and rim protecting), but really bad at what he doesn’t (shoot).
Overall, the signing of Tolliver is yet another move by Morey that simply makes sense, so I double there will be much backlash. If Tolliver shows life and earns a spot on the roster than he could play a big role in the 76ers backup unit. If not, he’s gone in ten days anyway.
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Categorized:Sixers