One of the most electrifying players from the “Process” has announced his return to the NBA.
Tony Wroten was one of the Sixers’ top guards from 2013-2015. Many forget, but Tony Wroten actually coined the phrase “Trust the Process” in an interview with ESPN’s Pablo Torres.
Originally a first-round pick of the Memphis Grizzlies, Wroten rarely saw the court and was eventually traded to the Sixers for a second-round pick and a trade exception.
Wroten showed an innate ability to score as soon as he arrived in Philly. Scoring at least ten points in ten of his first twelve games with the Sixers, Wroten looked to have a bright future in the City of Brotherly Love. He even messed around and got a triple-double against the Houston Rockets in what was his first NBA start.
Wroten would continue to show his scoring punch averaging 16.9 points-per-game in his second year with the Sixers. Wroten was an absolute dog defensively who routinely added highlight-worthy dunks and some of the most unique touch-passes you will see in the NBA.
Then, on January 23rd, 2015, it was announced that Wroten would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. A torn ACL is a difficult injury for anyone to recover from, let alone a player who relies so heavily on their athleticism. Wroten has spent the next five-and-a-half years bouncing between the NBA D-League (Now G-League) and playing in Europe, most recently playing for Joventut Badalona in Spain.
It will be interesting to see what condition Wroten’s game is in after such a long break from the NBA but even after all this time, he is just 27 years of age. Wroten still has a chance to carve out a meaningful NBA career and contribute to a quality team. Even if his athleticism is not what it was before his injury, his defensive intensity should still show. Wroten would be valuable as a defensive-minded floor general of the bench for many NBA teams including the Philadelphia 76ers.
If you want to read more on Wroten’s career with the Sixers, our own David Esser wrote about his stint earlier this year.
Hopefully Wroten gets the chance he deserves to return to the NBA and maybe we’ll even see him don the red, white, and blue again.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
