The Sixers continued their roster overhaul during the offseason. Over the next three weeks leading up to training camp, we will get to know the team's new players.
Alexey Shved
Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 6-6, 190
NBA experience: Two years
Last team: Timberwolves
Shved came to the Sixers via a three-team trade on Aug. 23. The Sixers sent Thaddeus Young to the Timberwolves in exchange for two players, including the 25-year-old Russian and a future first-round pick.
The best of Shved could be in the upcoming season. His playing time decreased in 2013-14 from 23.9 minutes per game his rookie season to 10.5 minutes a night. That’s because he was caught behind starters Ricky Rubio and Kevin Martin and veterans J.J. Barea and Chase Budinger in the Timberwolves' backcourt
Shved's scoring and assists per game declined, but looking at his production per 36 minutes, his statistics were comparable to his first year. Shved averaged 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per 36 minutes his rookie season. A year later, those numbers were 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per 36.
Fitting in with the Sixers
Michael Carter-Williams is the Sixers’ starting point guard. Tony Wroten backed MCW up last season and occasionally played alongside him.
Shved is listed as a shooting guard, but he can play either guard position. Shved’s main competition in training camp will be Wroten along with Jason Richardson, Casper Ware and Elliot Williams.
NBA
Shved has a size advantage in the group, but he also brings international experience to the table. Shved's international resume includes two bronze medals. He won the first at the European Championships with the Russian national team in 2011. The following summer, the Russian national team won the bronze at the Olympic Games in London.
Tidbit
In the bronze medal game versus Argentina in 2012, which earned Russia its first men's basketball Olympic medal since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Shved scored a game-high 25 points (13 in the fourth quarter). He shot a sizzling 6 for 11 from three-point range.