Expect to see a lot more Raul Neto
About a week ago, I wrote about the Sixers back up point guard situation and how Raul Neto seemed destined for a reserve role.
Well, I’d like to be the first to admit that I’m a stupid little dumb-ass idiot jinx. Raul Neto is the Sixers’ back up point guard and there’s nothing else to it.
Neto first made his presence felt in the Sixers come-from-behind victory over the Portland Trailblazers. He was huge in the fourth quarter and helped orchestrate the team’s 21-point comeback. Since then, Neto has continued to tighten his grasp on the back up point guard role.
Through the first three games of the season, Neto had been held to only nine minutes of playing time total. Since then, he is averaging nine minutes per game. He’s been a great off the bench, helping quarterback the offense in the half court. His defense has also been better than expected. Calling it, “good” would be a stretch, but he’s feisty and fights through screens. He’s very reminiscent of TJ McConnell in some ways.
As great as Neto has been, unfortunately, his soon-to-be major uptick in minutes isn’t entirely based to his own performance. Ben Simmons suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder during the Sixers loss to the Utah Jazz. While a timetable for his return has yet to be announced, this type of injury can typically take up to six weeks for full recovery. Thankfully, Simmons only suffered a minor sprain which leaves room for optimism.
For now, the Sixers must plan for life without Ben Simmons and that likely means a lot of Raul Neto. After Neto though, the Sixers have very little in terms of depth at guard. The rotation is going to be in a constant state of flux for the next few weeks and Brett Brown is going to have to get creative with his lineups. If we’re lucky, we might even get our first Trey Burke sighting of the season.
