Summer Reading: Samuel Dalembert

Summer Reading is a series on what each Philadelphia Seventy-Sixer needs to do this off season in order to bring the Sixers back to the playoffs in ‘07–08. Each member of the Sixers will get a reading list, we’ll start with Bobby Jones, and end with Andre Iguodala (Least minutes per game to most).

Vital stats: 31 minutes/game, 54% from the field, 0% from three, 75% from the line, 8.9 reb/game, 0.8 assts/game, 0.57 steals/game, 1.94 blocks/game, 10.7 points/game.
Suggested reading: Power Lifting by Barney Groves, The Intimidator by Frank Vehron, The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor.
Extra credit: Oh, Oh Canada! Who Stands on Guard by Ronald Coleman.
Suggested viewing: Better Basketball’s Better Post Play.

The Rub: Sammy is another key player in the Sixers playoff puzzle for 07–08. After Iverson and Webber left town, the ball found its way into Sammy’s hands much more frequently, and the added touches on offense energized the big man. He worked with Moses Malone, and the tutelage payed dividends. Double-doubles were a common occurrence, and his presence in the middle made up for shoddy perimeter D on plenty of occasions.

Dalembert is a starter on this team, whether it’s at the four or five positions. If he’s going to help the Sixers get back to the playoffs he needs to do two things: 1) Bulk up a little bit. He needs to be able to bang with the more physical big men, and dish out some of the punishment he’s taken over the past couple of years. 2) He needs to learn to play within himself on the offensive end. He’s developed a nice jumper from 15 feet in, he can spot up and hit that shot with regularity. He’s also active on the offensive end, and the Andres find him for lobs a couple of times per game. He needs to cut the crazy shots out of his repertoire. We’ve all seen him force a shot, and a pass for that matter, and it’s never a pretty sight.

If Sammy plays within himself, and within the offense, he’s going to average a dozen points per game. He just needs to let the opportunities come to him. It’d also be nice if they could work him in the post from time to time, he needs to utilize his baby turnaround jumper down on the blocks. If he bulks up, he’ll be able to get the position down there to do some damage.

Up next: Andre Miller

Archives

• Kyle Korver
• Joe Smith
• Willie Green
• Steven Hunter
• Rodney Carney
• Kevin Ollie
• Shavlik Randolph
• Louis Williams
• Alan Henderson
• Louis Amundson
• Bobby Jones