76ers 10-day Signee Contributing Solid Minutes in Starting Role
The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent forward Chuma Okeke to two different 10-day contracts over the last two months, and Okeke gave the Sixers some really solid minutes and even started a few games for the franchise during his time with it. His most recent deal came just before the Sixers hit the road for a six-game road stand, which recently came to a close with a 112-99 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. Now, the contract expired on Tuesday, and the Sixers have yet to resign Okeke to a deal for the rest of the regular season, but the former first-round pick contributed well during his time with Philadelphia. Through Okeke’s time with Philly, the forward appeared in a total of seven games for Philly and played double-digit minutes in all six games of the Sixers’ road trip. Across the six-game road trip for the team, Okeke averaged 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 54.5% shooting from the floor and 45.5% shooting from three-point range. He ended his contract with Philadelphia with one of his best performances as a Sixer, tallying 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block in 33 minutes of action.
Okeke was even thrust into a starting role for Philadelphia towards the end of his second contract with the franchise. He started the Sixers’ final three games on their road trip, averaging 33 minutes of action through those three games. In those minutes, Okeke averaged 9.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. And off the bench in a 133-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 19th, Okeke gave the Sixers some much-needed help in the blowout loss with a 15-point and 14-rebound double-double effort. Coming from the G League, the forward certainly aided himself in potentially earning a deal for next season with his solid play, although it comes with a small sample size. The Auburn product was drafted 16th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2019 NBA Draft, but injuries caused him to bounce around and eventually find himself in the G League fighting for a spot back at the top.
It’s unlikely that the Sixers will resign Okeke for the remainder of the season with just 10 regular season games remaining on the schedule, along with this season being one the 76ers want to forget as quickly as possible. The Sixers went 1-5 through their six-game road stand and are currently on a five-game losing skid, dropping the franchise’s record to 23-49 on the season. In terms of the tank, it’s looking better and better by the day that the Sixers will keep their first-round pick in this year’s draft. Philadelphia is currently in 13th place in the East and a comfortable eight games behind the Miami Heat, which hold the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. Philly has the fifth-worst record in the NBA, giving the team a 27.9% chance to earn the seventh overall pick in the draft and a 20.1% chance to earn the sixth overall pick at this point in time. Philly keeps their pick if it lands in the top six, so the “Top-Six Sixers” are likely hoping to continue this losing streak as the regular season draws to a close.
