After bouncing from two franchises at the early end of their rebuilding cycle, Trendon Watford landed in Philadelphia as a rather unknown commodity to casual NBA observers.

But the 6’9″ swing forward out of LSU should not be mistaken as just another back-of-the bench filler. Under Jordi Fernandez’s creative scheme in Brooklyn last season, Watford moved from an ordinary depth piece to a sneaky good playmaking hub off the bench.

While no one expects Watford to follow a similar high usage trajectory alongside the Sixers trio of ball-dominant stars, it is his passing vision and decision-making that unlock new options under Philadelphia’s nucleus.

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Taking Stock of Philadelphia’s Wing Depth

Envisioning a niche for Watford within the Sixers offensive infrastructure requires understanding of how his complementary skillsets balance against the rest of the roster. With the recent departure of Guerschon Yabusele, Nick Nurse’s roster stands one fan-favorite player short on the wing, and immediate questions are raised as to his possible replacement.

Watford’s arrival not only bridges this gap, but it also adds a new passing dynamic to the likely core group of wings heading into the 2025-2026 season.

	Paul George	Kelly Oubre Jr	Justin Edwards	Trendon Watford	Guerschon Yabusele
Position(s)	Forward / Wing	Forward / Wing	Forward / Wing	Big / Forward	Big / Forward
Height / Weight	6’9″ / 220	6’7″ / 203	6’8″ / 203	6’9″ / 240	6’8″ / 260
Assist-to-Usage Ratio	0.87	0.44	0.52	0.87	0.73
Ast Points (per min)	0.35	0.14	0.15	0.34	0.20

There are a couple of ways in which I interpret this data. At a sturdier 240 pounds, Watford appears to be the most logical choice as Yabusele’s immediate replacement (as another forward with some center flexibility in smaller lineups). The ex-Net logged nearly 20% of his minutes at center last season, and the film clearly shows a more agile space defender to what the Sixers had in Yabusele.

But if we reel the conversation back to playmaking, it is Watford’s impact as a quasi-facilitator that stands among this core. With Paul George bearing some of the playmaking load, the Sixers do not have another wing capable of generating shots for guys like Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.

Surrounding this core of combo guards with a quality passer is key. As we have learned in recent seasons, this is not a role suitable for Kelly Oubre. And while Yabusele played his part as a willing ball-swinger, Watford is a clear level above as a forward capable of drawing extra defenders and making off-the-dribble reads.

With the Sixers definitively prioritizing better decision-makers on the roster, Watford has the chance to stick not only as a ball-mover, but as a forward with high-value shot creation capabilities. How that shapes up in Philadelphia will be likely dependent on Nurse’s vision within the offense, tapping into Watford’s skills as a ball-handler.

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An Above-Level Passer & Decision-Maker

One aspect Trendon Watford’s game that I am most intrigued by is in his ability to generate easier shots at the rim. With Watford on the court last year, Brooklyn saw a substantial 3.1% uptick in shots within 4 feet of the basket (87th percentile among all bigs.)

Leaning on his size and ball-handling, Watford attracts smaller mismatches on the perimeter, pulling help defenders and rim protectors away from the basket. His passing vision and soft accurate touch in traffic leads cutters with ease towards the rim.

Surrounding Watford with movement and cutters can go a long way to potentializing his passing prowess on the ball. Under Nick Nurse, the Sixers ranked near the bottom in points off cuts last year, exposing a stagnant and rather unimaginative offensive system.

But with a bit more creativity and an infusion of passers, we should see this change drastically. Watford is an underrated creator off the bounce, where Brooklyn also utilized him at a career high 2.3 pick-and-roll possessions a game.

Replacing empty pick-and-roll possessions that landed in the hands of poor creators such as Oubre, Caleb Martin, and Jeff Dowtin Jr. will be key. On the flip side, Watford’s feel in traffic and patience in allowing the set to develop is well advanced for a 6’9″ forward (leading to another easy look at the rim).

Beyond his impact as a downhill shot-creator, Watford is a highly skilled passer with his back to the basket. Operating primarily out of the low post (or elbow), Watford complements off-ball movements very well in threading accurate passes into empty spaces.

Last season, Watford ranked an impressive 12th in assist rate for forwards under a 25% usage rate. And it is his impact on a limited number of touches where Philadelphia may have found an ideal complement to its roster.

Landing on a synchronized fit with Joel Embiid is vital, as both can operate from similar spots on the floor. But I see Watford as another enabler to Embiid’s game, connecting on high-low actions in a similar fashion to what we observed when Nic Batum was his favorite counterpart.

Nevertheless, the fit with this core group of guards is much cleaner. If we rewind the film back to Nurse’s first season, Philadelphia ranked among the top tier of teams in dribble hand-off points (led by a ton of quick-hitting actions with Tyrese Maxey).

With Jared McCain (and likely Quentin Grimes) back in the mix, Nurse now has a trio of guards who are capable of anticipating those actions with Watford as the main playmaking hub.

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Fashioning a role for Watford as a passer and enabler within the offense should be one of Nurse’s priority this offseason. Philadelphia is again very lite at the traditional power forward spot, and while Watford comes with some shooting concerns, his capabilities as a glue within the offense should not be overlooked.

As Daryl Morey puts his finishing touches on the roster heading into the 2025-2026 season, envisioning Watford at 15 to 20 minutes a game while alleviating some of the ball-handling away from others is an acceptable starting point to gauge how he fits under a team with heavier expectations.