Philadelphia 76ers Guard Michael Carter-Williams Wins NBA Rookie of the Year

michaelcarterwilliams
MCW beat out Victor Oladipo and Trey Burke by a wide margin.

After a season where the struggling 76ers had one of the longest losing streaks in NBA history, it is good to see some good news come out in Philly. Former Syracuse guard Michael Carter-Williams is the 2014 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, after having one of the best rookie seasons in 50+ years. He reached elite status by leading the rookie class in points (16.7), assists (6.3), rebounds (6.2) and steals (1.86).

He joins Oscar Robertson and Alvin Adams as the only players to lead rookies in all three of those categories (minus steals) a feat that has not been accomplished since 1976. Carter-Williams also joined legends Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson as the only other rookies to average 16, 6, and 6. The guard showed promise right out of the gates as he won NBA Player of the Week in his very first seven days as a pro. Although, the lack of team success overshadowed, the impressive rookie campaign the team has to be pleased with its future star.

Philadelphia is predicted to have the second overall pick in this year’s draft and there are a few future stars that could come in and contribute in a similar fashion – like Kansas prospect Andrew Wiggins, Duke star Jabari Parker, or UK leader Julius Randle. If we had to pick, we would go with Julius Randle. The versatile big man is very physical and can score the basketball in various ways with incredible ball handling skills for a man of his size. But, the Sixers may go with the previous mentioned Wiggins to create an explosive back court duo.

Every team has to go through the rebuilding process and it is just their turn. We all know how aggressive Philly fans can get, so let’s hope they can turn things around quickly in a similar fashion as the Bobcats. Michael Jordan’s franchise went from being the worst team in NBA History to making the playoffs in two short years. That’s incredible. They were able to build through the draft and it looks like the Sixers are on the right path in that regard, considering the production from last year’s first round pick, MCW.

MCW

Carter-Williams averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds, joining Oscar Robertson (1960-61) and Alvan Adams (1975-76) as the only players since 1950-51 to pace all rookies in those three categories. He also joined Robertson and Magic Johnson as the only rookies in NBA history to average at least 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Carter-Williams also led all rookies in steals (1.86 spg, sixth in NBA).

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