Sixers Insider

Roster Review: Small Forward

Last Season

The 76ers are loaded with athletic wing players and depending on the situation, a number of them occupied the small forward position. Leading the way was Andre Iguodala, with All-Rookie Second Team selection Thaddeus Young and Rodney Carney also seeing time at the three.

Not only did the versatile Iguodala lead the Sixers in scoring with a career-high 19.9 points per game and in steals with 2.09 per game, but he also finished second in assists with 4.8 per game and third in rebounds with 5.4 per game. Iguodala was one of only two players (the Washington Wizards' All-Star Caron Butler being the other) to average at least 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.00 steals this season. Additionally, Iguodala continued to improve on the defensive end of the court. He was often charged with guarding the opponent’s main perimeter threat and his ability to play the passing lanes and force turnovers generally kick-started the Sixers' fast break offense. Such a moment came during a furious comeback from 11 points down against the Eastern Conference Champion Celtics in Boston, when Iguodala stripped Kevin Garnett and raced to the rack for an uncontested dunk. It was part of a run where Iguodala scored 13 of the Sixers last 17 points for the thrilling 95-90 win.

In his inaugural year in the NBA, 19-year-old Thaddeus Young showed that he has only scratched the surface of his ability. More often than not, he found time playing at power forward, but he also saw time at the three depending on the line-up. After the mid-season trade of Kyle Korver to Utah, Young was trusted with more playing time and he didn’t disappoint, fitting in nicely with the Sixers new, up-tempo style. Young created mismatches with his quickness, but held his own defensively and on the boards as well and finished the year with the second highest Player Efficiency Rating (PER) among rookies, according to ESPN.com. In the final 50 games of the season, Young averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He started 22 of the final 38 games and all six playoff games.

Additionally, Carney also saw some time at the three last year, as it wasn’t rare toward the latter part of the season to see him on the floor with Iguodala, Lou Williams, Reggie Evans and either Jason Smith or Sam Dalembert.

Next Season

Andre Iguodala is currently a restricted free agent, meaning that while other teams can offer him a contract, the Sixers have the right to match it. Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski said during a conference call after the season that Iguodala "is a very good basketball player. I think - I know - he's a guy we'd like to keep, going forward here."

Meanwhile, Young is on the right track to provide continued production for next year. He will be a member of the squad the Sixers send to the Las Vegas Summer League this year. Although Young logged most of his time at the four, depending on how things shake out over the course of the off-season, there is always the possibility that he could see more time at the small forward position.

Options

Iguodala led the team in minutes (39.5 per game) and has started 322 of a possible 328 games in his career, so for the foreseeable future, the small forward position is his. And with the emergence of Thaddeus Young, the Sixers will likely want to get both of them on the floor at the same time as much as possible.

This SIXERS.COM season review in no way reflects the ideas or opinions of the Sixers players, coaching staff, scouts or front office.