76ers Midseason Grades: Guards

T.J. McConnell, PG: A-
Back in Summer League, when Joel Embiid was still an unknown and everybody was calling for Nik Stauskas' head, T.J. McConnell was struggling to find himself and seemed destined to be relegated to the backup role behind Sergio Rodriguez for the season. Several months later, it's T.J. McConnell who's cemented his place in the lineup and El Chaco who finds himself on the outside looking in. McConnell genuinely looks like a good backup on a good team, which is a lot more than people would have given him even a couple months ago. He's done it by playing much-improved defense (despite not having a good defensive frame) and doing just enough on the offensive end so that teams can't completely leave him. Also working in T.J.'s favor is the Sixers' most iconic moment of the season, his turnaround buzzer beater against the Knicks -- a shot that will live on forever in Process history.

Sergio Rodriguez, PG: C-
When Sergio Rodriguez is hitting his shots he's a serviceable player. Unfortunately, he's not hitting his shots nearly enough (39.6 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from deep) and he's hardly ever playing decent defense. An El Chacho-Jah defensive pick-and-roll combo is almost always a bucket for the opposing team, and it's saying something that even great defenders like Embiid and Covington haven't been able to mask Rodriguez's inability on that side of the floor. The Sixers expected him to start this year, but now it's tough to see him as much more than a third stringer on a good team. If he can be pawned off during the offseason, the Sixers should try, but his contract may end up being a little tricky to move.

Chasson Randle, PG: Incomplete
Randle has only been on the team a couple weeks now, but he was recently signed to a multi-year deal after his second 10-day contract, which bodes pretty well for his future with the Sixers. He's also started eating into more of Sergio Rodriguez's minutes, sometimes even entering the game before El Chacho. The sample size is slightly too small, though, to make a long-term prediction. Yes, he's shooting 40 percent from three so far, but that's in seven games. If Randle continues to play well he may find his way back onto the Sixers as a third string point guard next year, but it's certainly going to be an uphill battle with all the rookies that will be coming in.

Nik Stauskas, SG: B
Sauce Castillo was a mess in Summer League. He genuinely didn't look like a serviceable NBA player. At all. Now though, he actually looks like a legitimate bench scorer if he improves his three point percentage a bit (36.5 percent). Of course, he still doesn't play good defense, but his offensive game has evolved -- he's a much better cutter this year and has clearly worked on his playmaking abilities. He's also looked slightly more explosive offensively this year, providing a number of emphatic dunks. Most importantly, he's found some confidence offensively, which he was sorely lacking last year.

Gerald Henderson, SG: B
Has Gerald Henderson been spectacular? Certainly not. But he is silently shooting 39.8 percent from three and providing good perimeter defense. We might have expected something slightly flashier out of Henderson, but he has definitely justified his contract with his consistent play. He still takes too many long two's and isn't much of a playmaker but I think the 76ers have to be happy with his contributions thus far. Because of his contract, he'll almost certainly be on the roster at the start of next year and I think he'll fit nicely into a bench 3 and D role.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, SG: B-
TLC's current handle is not good and neither is his shot. These two things make him tough to watch at times, but in terms of future development I think he's actually having a pretty good rookie season. His handle and decision-making will surely improve as he gets used to NBA basketball, while his shot certainly doesn't look broken. In addition, his raw skills have been easily visible whenever he gets on the court -- he's probably the fastest guy on the team, has awesome defensive potential, and even looks like he could become a secondary playmaker on offense. We knew it was going to take some adjustment for TLC after coming to the NBA and I think the team should be pleased with where he is right now.