Throughout the Process era of Sixers basketball, seemingly countless fringe NBA players have made pit stops in Philly. Remember ? He once had six blocks in an NBA game for the Sixers. How about ? He started on opening night a couple of years back. Seriously, these things are true.
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Of these players, one of my personal favorite stories was of , who currently plays for BC UNICS (Russia) of the Euroleague. When Brown was an NBA rookie back during the 2013-14 season, that brave first year of Processing (one which included a 26-game losing streak), the Sixers repeatedly sent Brown down to the D-League and called him back up.
This was a substantial E-Z Pass bill that Brown racked up. Take a look at his Real GM transactions page:
The stakes were lower with Brown, but the Sixers could finally have someone on a similar plan in first-round pick . “TLC” was sent down to the Delaware 87ers and quickly recalled last week. Today, he was sent back down and is expected to be in uniform for tonight's Sevens game versus the Greensboro Swarm at “The Bob” in Newark.
, the 24th overall pick in last June’s draft, has played sparingly for the Sixers, logging 46 total minutes in nine games. That doesn’t mean he’s in s doghouse, though, not according to the coach himself at least.
“First, I really like him,” Brown said. “Every time that kid comes in the game, he’s got this burst of speed and attack-mode, get-to-the-rim stuff that you say, ‘Wow.’ He’s been sitting for 44 minutes and then you give him three minutes or whatever. I think he’s got a real future. I think did a hell of a job selecting him.”
The Inquirer reported that “TLC” is likely down for only one game. If that is the case, the 21-year-old French swingman could have a hectic schedule these next few weeks and months.
“The motivation is obvious with Delaware in that we can get him games and it’s right down the road,” Brown said. “Ultimately, he needs to play basketball. And whether that’s getting on the court with us for some sort of sporadic minutes, limited minutes or going to Delaware and really getting mid-30 minutes and playing and shooting, the bottom line is he needs to play.”
Even if TLC has a bright future, he’s going to get to know I-95 pretty well his rookie season.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann