The Sixers add a series of four that have traveled very well.
The team signed Anthony Tolliver to a ten-day contract, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia on Saturday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.
Tolliver has yet to play in the NBA this year. He played in 55 games last season and appeared for the Trail Blazers, Kings and Grizzlies. The 35-year-old was previously secretary-treasurer for the National Basketball Players Association.
Since the 2013-14 season, Tolliver has made 38.8 percent of his three-point shots. According to Cleaning the Glass, at least half of his efforts in each season since 2011-’12 have come from a long distance.
We’ll see if he gets the chance to show he’s in the mix for the Sixers, come the post-season. NBA teams can sign up to as many as two 10-day contracts within a season. Maybe the Sixers will give Tolliver a chance to compete for the uphill clash with Mike Scott.
They can also consider him a small center in Ben Simmons’ essay. Units with Simmons on the floor and Dwight Howard in the middle, still struggling offensively and carrying a net-minus-13.4 score, per Cleaning the Glass. At least Tolliver is another option for head coach Doc Rivers to try alongside Simmons after the Sixers lost the depth of the foreland by sending Tony Bradley to the Thunder in the George Hill trade.
“Well, I do not know about minutes unless you want to see me Tobias (Harris) or someone like this,” Rivers said before the Sixers game against the Thunder on Saturday night. “I do not even know what the answer is. Maybe in Dallas. If not, probably right when we get home. He’s a veteran. Can shoot the ball. He was all around the block, which I think this team needs. I think he can help in this regard. ”
Per the clearing of the glass, the Sixers sit in the three-point frequency 27th in the league. Setting tries is, of course, a big part of what Tolliver does and why it makes sense to sign him up to a 10-day deal. However, he will have to answer other questions besides whether he is still a willing and capable three-point shooter, including whether he can keep his defense and the depth for Sixers in the playoffs.
At 35-17, the Sixers are second in the Eastern Conference, a game behind the Nets with another 20 games in the regular season.