Can a 23-Year-Old Talent Impress Teams Enough for a Contract?
Two games down and two more left before the start of the NBA season. The Sixers, unfortunately, got swept by the Knicks in Abu Dhabi. The first game against the Knicks last Thursday was hard to watch. The final score was 99-84 with the Knicks winning that game. The Sixers couldn’t get anything going for them, especially from beyond the arc. Now, as of today, the Sixers fell again to their division rivals for a final score of 113-104. It looks as though New York has Philly’s number. However, there has been a surprising bright spot throughout both games.
Introducing number 14… Kennedy Chandler! A six-foot, 171-pound point guard who was signed to an Exhibit-10 contract by the Sixers. Chandler is a former second-round pick from the 2022 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Spurs before being traded to the Grizzlies for cash and a 2024 second-round draft pick, which later on turned into Harrison Ingram. Anywho, Chandler’s NBA career was stagnant as he only played 36 games with Memphis before being waived. He bounced between the Eastern Conference as he was signed to an Exhibit-10 contract by the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors in 2023 and 2024, before being waived. If history repeats itself, Chandler is most likely to be waived by the Philadelphia 76ers. However, this year might be the chance he needs to impress teams enough to sign him.
If we go back to the first preseason game, the Sixers against the Knicks, in Abu Dhabi, you can see Chandler came off the bench. He played 21 minutes and scored 10 points. He made four shots out of seven attempts, one for three from deep range, and one for two from the free throw line. Percentage-wise, that’s 57% from the field, 33% from deep, and 50% from the line. He also added two assists and two steals to his stat line. So, not bad, but not that good if he wants a team to sign him long-term. That’s where the second game comes in from today. He played 32 minutes and dropped 15 points. He made five out of 11 attempts and went to the line a lot more. Sinking five out of seven free throws. So, that makes it around 45% from the field and 71% from the line. He also added six assists, a steal, and a block to his stat sheet.
To be completely honest, there’s no way the Sixers are going to sign Chandler long-term. Not with there being Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes, VJ Edgecombe, Jared McCain, and Kyle Lowry at the backcourt. There’s just no room for Chandler on the roster. However, the 23-year-old should keep his head up, as there are teams that could use his skills. Ranging from San Antonio and Golden State to possibly back to Brooklyn.
