NBA PM: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s Progression

When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with the 24^th pick in the 2016 draft, they knew that they were getting a young player with raw skills and great potential. The organization was set to bring Luwawu-Cabarrot along slowly, allowing him to cut his teeth in the D-League. For the first 32 games of the season, this scenario held true, with Luwawu-Cabarrot recording 12 DNPs and averaging around 7.5 minutes per game.

Since the first of the year, due in part to the Sixers’ injury woes and a lineup re-shuffling by Coach Brett Brown, Luwawu-Cabarrot’s minutes have increased to over 17 per game, with only one DNP. With the increase in minutes, the rookie has employed the strengths that enabled him to be drafted by Philadelphia and has also been hard at work improving other areas of his game. The 21-year-old Frenchman seems to be flattening his rookie learning curve. Luwawu-Cabarrot’s unexpected progression could mean even more opportunity to showcase his ability, and for the Sixers, a dependable energy guy coming off of the bench.

Philadelphia has posted a respectable and improving 19-22 record since January 1. During this span, Luwawu-Cabarrot began to show signs that he may be further along with his maturation as a player than previously expected. Luwawu-Cabarrot has earned playing time in spurts over this stretch, with his minutes per game increasing from 9.1 to 24.3 from December to March. Luwawu-Cabarrot’s scoring is also up from 2.06 per game to 8.06 per game, with his free throw percentage increasing from 67 percent to 87 percent in the new calendar year as well.

Game action, such as contests against Houston on January 27^th and versus the Lakers on March 12^th, help to re-enforce the theme that TLC is moving in the right direction. Against Houston, Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 1-of-1 from behind the arc in only 13 minutes of play. Against the Lakers, TLC posted a career high 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting, while also posting three assists and only one turnover. Luwawu-Cabarrot seems to be building momentum with this improved play, while also making a statement that when his number is called, he can be ready to contribute.

Luwawu-Cabarrot is also displaying a good sense for how to facilitate for teammates in pick and roll situations. Thus far this season, Luwawu-Cabarrot has efficiently set up teammates for scoring opportunities via P&Rs. He ranks as the 33^rd best player in the league in scoring efficiency when facilitating for teammates in P&R action, averaging 1.2 points per possession. This being said, Luwawu-Cabarrot’s sample size on these types of plays is small. Increased volume in this area of his game will reveal how good Luwawu-Cabarrot’s P&R facilitation skill set actually is at this stage of his career. However, early indications could be showing that Luwawu-Cabarrot is improving a part of his game in which he struggled prior to coming into the league. (All Statistics are courtesy of Synergy and Basketball-Reference.com and are current as of March 28^th, 2017)

Take a look at how, with poise, he comes off of the pick set by Jahlil Okafor and hits Okafor on a roll to the basket. Along with T.J. McConnell, Luwawu-Cabarrot could give the Sixers another guard who is adept at setting teammates up for scoring situations. It is too early to tell for sure, but the rookie could be already showing signs of maturing into one of the more solid players when setting up teammates out of P&R action.

Luwawu-Cabarrot has also impressed Coach Brown with his ability to make the right read at the basket.

“He plays downhill, and the decisions he makes once he’s at the rim have been more sophisticated than I thought,” Brown told Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com. “He’s always had that athleticism, but now he’s learning how to drive that car in traffic. He is our most gifted runner, our most athletic wing, and we want to play fast. All of those things matter.”

As Brown alluded to, Luwawu-Cabarrot is steadily progressing and beginning to calibrate his downhill attacking mentality with his ability to make the right basketball reads. Again, Luwawu-Cabarrot’s sample size in these situations is small, but initially, TLC has shown promise finishing around the rim. Through the middle of February, Luwawu-Cabarrot ranked in the 52nd percentile in the league in scoring efficiency off of cuts to the basket, averaging 1.25 points per possession, and in the 58^th percentile when driving to the rim for scores off of spot up opportunities. Since that time, Luwawu-Cabarrot’s numbers have fallen off slightly but still remain solid, averaging 1.19 points per possession on cuts to the basket and 1.03 points per possession when driving it to the rim for scores off of spot ups.

Additionally, when scoring the ball coming off of screens, Luwawu-Cabarrot has been excellent, ranking in the 75^th percentile in the league in scoring efficiency and shooting 38 percent from the field in these situations.

On the other side of the ball, Luwawu-Cabarrot has employed solid ball pressure, especially when guarding the opposition coming off of screens. Using his 7-foot wingspan and superb lateral quickness, he is allowing just .83 points per possession, holding opposing teams to 31 percent from the field when guarding this action. He is also showing that he is a solid pick and roll defender, especially when he gets switched onto big men.

Throw in Luwawu-Cabarrot’s ability to effectively contest spot up shooters – he ranks in the 79^th percentile in the league in this category – and the Sixers may well have themselves a perimeter defender that they may be able to consistently rely upon. If he can continue his strong defensive play, it will give Coach Brown yet another reason to find minutes for Luwawu-Cabarrot moving forward. Check out Luwawu-Cabarrot’s activity, as he crowds Jason Terry off of a pick and roll screen, switches onto Giannis Antetokounmpo, sprints out to run Matthew Dellavedova off of his three-point shot, and then recovers to corral the defensive rebound.

Lastly, Luwawu-Cabarrot looks to be improving his ability to break defenders down off of the dribble. Luwawu-Cabarrot came into the league with a suspect handle, and although TLC still doesn’t yet possess a consistent change of direction skill-set, he is beginning to show signs of expanding this part of his game. Take a look at how he probes the defense and then uses his left-to-right crossover to get downhill at the rim on the Knicks’ Courtney Lee for the finish.

Despite the small sample sizes, signs are indicating that Luwawu-Cabarrot is progressing nicely in his first year in Philadelphia. By continuing his solid play and upward trajectory as a player, Luwawu-Cabarrot could potentially be poised to play a far greater role in the team’s collective success moving forward. Don’t be surprised to see TLC’s contribution increase, especially heading into his sophomore season.