Brian Spurlock – USA Today Sports
One of my favorite times of the year is the NBA Summer League. The list of big time college basketball players that weren’t fortunate enough to be one of the 60 players to hear their name called last Thursday night is quite lengthy. Because of this, the summer league gives many players who were not drafted the opportunity to get an invitation to training camp and perhaps make an NBA team.
The Philadelphia 76ers have just completed and released their roster for the 2013 Orlando Summer League. Outside of this year’s (Michael Carter-Williams) and last year’s (Arnett Moultrie) first-round picks, there are a few players on this roster to keep an eye on. Even if they don’t necessarily make the Sixers, there is some talent that people will notice when the team heads south for the week.
One player to keep an eye on is Khalif Wyatt. Wyatt played three years at Temple and averaged 20.5 points per game last year. He became nationally recognized after scoring 31 points in each of his two NCAA Tournament games. He is one of the best scorers coming out of college and could make the Sixers as a spark plug off the bench, considering they were the worst scoring team in the NBA last season.
Another name you might see donning an NBA uniform next season is Trevor Mbakwe. Skepticism as to why Mbawke wasn’t drafted relates to the fact that he is already 24 years old and has a previously torn ACL. But although undersized, Mbakwe is a tremendous rebounder and his hustle and energy could earn him a spot on a roster.
Lastly, James Southerland has one skill that every NBA team always needs: the ability to knock down the long ball. Southerland hit 40% from three last year and hit 2.5 threes per game last year at Syracuse. Hopefully an endorsement from former teammate MCW and some three pointers in Orlando will put Southerland on the Sixers next year.
There will be a lot of talent on display in Orlando and the following week in Las Vegas. If you’re curious to see how the Sixers might fill out their roster, keep an eye on these three players.
Zach Slotter is a writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @zslot6, Like his Facebook page or add him on Google.
