Each week, our resident basketball analysts will discuss some of the hottest topics involving the Sixers.
Running the Give and Go are CSNPhilly.com Sixers insider Jessica Camerato, CSNPhilly.com producer/reporter Matt Haughton, and CSNPhilly.com producer/reporter Paul Hudrick.
This week, we take a look at players we think will surprise you this season.
Camerato
Sergio Rodriguez has been here before. The point guard first came to the NBA in 2006 and began his career with the Trail Blazers. He spent four years in the league, playing for both the Kings and Knicks in his final season. He accumulated an average of 4.3 points, 2.9 assists and 1.3 rebounds in the NBA, and went back to Europe without making much of a mark on the league.
His international career was another story, though. Rodriguez was a key member of the championship-winning Real Madrid organization. He was named Euroleague MVP in 2013-14. Last season, he averaged 10.9 points, 6.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds. Rodriguez is coming to the Sixers after a summer of competing in the 2016 Olympics.
The addition of Rodriguez is significant for the Sixers because it gives the team a veteran leader with both NBA and global experience of the highest level. He will complement Jerryd Bayless as an experienced floor leader on a young squad, which includes rookie point-forward Ben Simmons. Rodriguez will also gel with the new international makeup of the Sixers.
On the court, Rodriguez can run the court while also playing off the ball. In a backcourt that was in need of offense last season, he shot 40.9 percent from three last season.
NBA
This may not be Rodriguez's first stint in the NBA, but expect him to look much different this time around. He already has been through the transition into the league and is coming back a more experienced player ready to make a veteran impact on a team looking for leadership.
Haughton
How about Dario Saric? That selection should certainly put a smile on the face of my former colleague John Gonzalez. After all, he was one of the people driving the Saric bus long before the Croatian finally decided to sign with the Sixers this summer.
I'm a bit more measured with my expectations for Saric. I'm not saying he'll be Rookie of the Year or even that the Sixers will give him such an extended look to even put him in the running for the award. However, there is something to be said for a first-year player coming into the league with the level of experience Saric already has under his belt.
The 22-year-old has been playing professionally in some form since 2009, including the last two years for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League and EuroLeague. Saric has also been a member of the Croatian national league player pool since 2010 and finished the Rio Olympics with averages of 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 33.1 minutes a game.
That's a far cry from the one or two years of college experience shared by most of Saric's peers. But what could really set him apart from his fellow rookies and surprise those watching him play for the first time is his demeanor on the court. Saric plays with a certain attitude and passion that Philadelphia will soak up.
A guy who can do a little bit of everything on the floor and has a nasty streak? Or as an acquaintance who played professionally in Turkey last season and saw Saric in person put it, "He's a tougher version of Chandler Parsons." Yeah, that will surprise some people.
Hudrick
With questions surrounding the point guard position, I'm going with Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez. El Chacho is a veteran. Not necessarily of the NBA (he's played 285 games), but of the highly competitive Euroleague. Rodriguez won an MVP and a championship for Real Madrid. He's also excelled with Spain's national team. He split time with the younger Ricky Rubio in Rio, but provided a veteran presence when Rubio struggled.
Nerlens Noel lauded former Sixer Ish Smith, calling him the best pure point guard he's ever played. Well wait until Noel gets a load of Rodriguez. You could see during the Olympics that Rodriguez is a big man's dream. He's outstanding in the pick-and-roll and formed an obvious chemistry with Pau Gasol for Team Spain. That's good news for Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid.
I'm predicting that Rodriguez will win the starting point guard job and take some pressure off No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons. We all saw what Simmons can do as a facilitator, but it's unfair to ask a 6-foot-10, 20-year-old rookie to go out there and play point guard at the NBA level. Simmons will get plenty of opportunities to run the offense. Rodriguez just ensures that Simmons won't have to right away.