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76ers' Timothe Luwawu: Could see significant time in D-League in rookie year

Sixers coach Brett Brown recently suggested that Luwawu could spend significant time in the D-League as a rookie, Sixers.com's Brian Seltzer reports. "I feel for the first time we are truly going to tap into our D-League program. It certainly makes sense to use the D-League that's 45 minutes down the road to get him playing," Brown said of Luwawu. "You can do all the drill work you want -- it doesn't equal playing against bodies and feeling other players. I think you're going to see him in the D-League from time to time, but I also feel like the excitement we saw from the summer league shows that that's an excellent prospect."

Analysis:

After Luwawu was nabbed with the 24th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, it wasn't certain if he would join the 76ers in 2016-17 or spend another year overseas to hone his craft. His decision to sign a contract with the 76ers earlier this month ended that mystery, and the 21-year-old went on to suit up in eight summer league games for the club, averaging 8.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per contest. As is common with younger prospects, Luwawu struggled with his efficiency, shooting just under 37 percent from the field, but that performance didn't change the 76ers' long-term outlook on him. The athletic Frenchman fits the mold of a "three-and-D" wing that most NBA teams covet, though it may take a few more years for Luwawu to fully realize his potential. In the meantime, the Sixers will lean on veterans Gerald Henderson, Robert Covington, Hollis Thompson and Nik Stauskas to cover most of the duties at either wing spot during the coming season, allowing Luwawu to pick up plenty of minutes in the D-League, which would certainly aid his development.

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