Royce White got a fresh chance with the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Or at least that’s what he hoped; it also looked a lot like a salary move by Philadelphia at the time. Still he played for the Sixers in the preseason, even took a plane flight road trip, then he was one of the last cuts the team made before the season opened.
White told the USA Today he’s still optimistic he can find a spot in the league.“I’m optimistic it will happen,” the former Iowa State star said. “We’re in contact with some teams. “Quite a few more than expected. People are more understanding than you think. It’s not an insensitive crowd. There are teams involved.
“It’s finding a situation that’s appropriate.”
No team names were mentioned. White is a free agent and can sign anywhere.
White has a well documented general anxiety disorder, something he is very open about (he has said he is trying to show others with the disease that they can deal with the disorder). Part of that is a fear of flying, but White told the USA Today that was overblown and he did fly during the Sixers preseason.
White was the No. 22 pick of the Houston Rockets in 2012, but he never played for them and was traded to the Sixers this past summer. He’s considered a guy with some point-forward kind skills who could maybe have a DeJuan Blair kind of impact on the right team. However, there were reports that the Sixers (like the Rockets) were frustrated his attitude, that he wasn’t working with them to help him navigate the NBA. Take all these kind of reports with a grain of salt, but they’re out there.
We’ll see how it plays out. Guys with talent get chances and White has that. I’d like to see him get that chance and show what he can do on an NBA court.