CLEVELAND — When the Philadelphia 76ers brought in Trendon Watford at the outset of free agency, it was obvious the idea was to bring in somebody who could bring a ton of versatility as somebody who has a unique skillset for somebody his size.
After contributing 16 points and six assists off the bench in Philadelphia’s 132-121 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, Watford is averaging 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. When he entered the contest in Cleveland, the Sixers were already down double digits. He then took control of the offense setting guys up and barking out orders to make sure the Sixers were in the right spots to help get them back in the game.
“That’s what he does,” Tyrese Maxey said after the loss. “That’s who he is. He’s gonna talk. A lot. He does a good job of just—they guard him a lot with, like 4s, and he can handle the ball well. He can make plays. He does a good job of that getting us into our offense and, especially, when guys are denying me, like, doing different things, so we trust him with that.”
Even though that is Watford’s personality to always talk and get guys involved, it is a bit surprising to see how natural it has been for him to just step in and have his voice be such a big presence this quickly.
“He’s gonna be himself no matter where he is or who he’s around,” Maxey added. “I’m glad we got him. We need a guy like that. He’s tough. He is tough and he’s really skilled, too. It’s a skill that we’ve been missing. I think he’s gonna help us a lot.”
Watford is certainly a player the Sixers have been missing as he has the ability to grab a rebound and start a break at 6-foot-8 and either finish it or get guys a look. Either way, he has been able to make that impact right away as he has found his footing in Philadelphia just as he has in his previous stops.
“That’s what I’ve been doing,” Watford added. “Sort of how I made my way a little bit. Just being a vocal guy, a vocal leader. So I think we was down when I got in, he was down probably like 15 or something. I wanted to use my voice and use my energy to try to bring us back and try to give us a little spark off the bench. I think that’s being a backup, being a reserve, that’s one of the things you gotta do when the starters are sort of down in energy. You gotta bring it up. So, I wanted to do that, and that’s always me, just being vocal, being a leader.”
It’s obvious that Watford knows his role for Philadelphia as he is a mature player who knows what is expected out of him. As time goes and he gets more comfortable under coach Nick Nurse, he is going to be even more important for the Sixers. Especially, when the playoffs roll around. He’s the type of player that can make a difference.
“I’ve been seeing him in the league for a little bit,” added Kelly Oubre Jr. “So, I just know he’s capable of doing a whole lot on the court. Big body, can handle, has a good poise. It’s kind of like that point forward that you see nowadays, and, he just makes the right play, but he also can score the ball, too. So, I’m super happy to play with him, super happy for him to get his feet under him, and just have a good game tonight, and the past couple games as well. So, I think he’s finding his groove.”
Watford and the Sixers will now have two days off before another back-to-back coming up over the weekend against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday and the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.