January 14, 2019
Now that the Eagles' season is over, it's time to focus on what really matters in Philadelphia — the final available Sixers roster spot. To that end, the team is conducting a pair of workouts over the next couple days, featuring quite an assortment of veteran shooters and young players.
First reported by Keith Pompey, Monday's workout features a group of veterans whose names you might recognize: Jodie Meeks, Corey Brewer, Brandon Rush, and Jamil Artis. Artis is the only member of this group who has yet to appear in an NBA game, and the Pittsburgh product currently plays for the Agua Caliente Clippers in the G League.
Sixers fans are already intimately familiar with Meeks, who arrived here during Eddie Jordan's lone season coaching the team and spent two more seasons with the Sixers under Doug Collins. He was somewhat of a divisive figure at the time, with Meeks initially earning the trust of Collins over No. 2 overall draft pick Evan Turner, much to the chagrin of the future-focused fans.
(Boy, things have really changed around here, huh?)
In addition to that workout Monday, a team representative confirmed to PhillyVoice that the Sixers will work out a trio of current G-League players on Tuesday: DJ Hogg and Rashad Vaughn, who play for the team's affiliate in Delaware, and Josh Huestis, member of the Austin Spurs.
Here's a short and sweet rundown of the guys they'll have in over the next couple days. Worth noting — as of January 5, teams around the league were able to sign players to 10-day contracts, so these guys could all be candidates there.
Meeks: 31 years old, Meeks last appeared in an NBA game during the 2017-18 season as a member of the Washington Wizards. He was suspended for 25 games in mid-April for violating the league's anti-drug policy, and was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks last October while still serving his suspension. I would presume he can still shoot (career: 37% from deep) but he's an undersized shooting guard who was never much of a defender.
Brewer: Brewer made a living early in his career catching outlet passes from Kevin Love in Minnesota, and has bounced around the league over the last decade. He's in more of a defensive mold than Meeks and has been a firmly below-average (or even bad) shooter for most of his career.
Rush: Rush was signed to a 10-day contract with the Blazers last season and never played, and spent the season before that on a forgettable Minnesota team. But he's best known for being a role player on the 73-9 Warriors who blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals to the Cavaliers. Rush lit it up from deep that season, knocking down 41.4 percent of his triples in just under 15 minutes per game, and would presumably be counted on to play a similar, if smaller role in Philly.
Artis: The lone young-ish player in Monday's workout, Artis played his college ball at the University of Pittsburgh and spent most of last season on a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic. Artis showed promise as a shooter in college, leaping from 29.6 percent from deep as a freshman to 39.2 percent as a senior on high volume, but he has yet to deliver on that since turning pro.
Huestis: Drafted with the 29th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Huestis became notorious for being one of the league's first domestic "draft-and-stash" players. After playing power forward for most of his amateur career, Huestis has made an effort to play the more hybrid role demanded of players around his height (6'7") these days. There's an interesting combination of athleticism, instincts, and defensive potential there if he can smooth things out.
Hogg: Hogg was briefly on the Sixers roster during training camp after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the team. He probably slots in as a stretch-four type at the NBA level, but Hogg is sort of the worst of both worlds on the defensive end, not quick enough laterally to defend wings and too thin/weak to deal with beefier bigs.
Vaughn: Drafted just outside the lottery by Milwaukee in 2015, Vaughn was a highly-touted prospect out of high school who developed a reputation as a talented gunner at UNLV. Shot selection has always been a big concern, and that has been part of why his numbers in the league have been as poor as they are. Combine that with his lacking motor on defense, and you have a kid who is talented but ultimately probably not the right fit for the Sixers' program.
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