Sixers preseason profile: Arnett Moultrie

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The Sixers continued their roster overhaul during the offseason, but did keep a few players around. One of those is Arnett Moultrie who we evaluate today:

Arnett Moultrie
Position: Power forward
Height/Weight: 6-10, 240
NBA experience: Two years

The Sixers had high hopes for Arnett Moultrie when they traded a lottery-protected first-round pick to Miami for his rights on draft night in 2012.

Unfortunately for the team, Moultrie has had a disappointing two years in the NBA. The No. 27 pick has appeared in 59 games, averaging just 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes a night.

A high-ankle sprain impacted the start of his rookie season, and ankle surgery kept Moultrie out of action until January of last season.

Moultrie came to the NBA after playing three years of college basketball, two at UTEP and his final year at Mississippi State University.

With the Bulldogs Moultrie averaged 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. He was one of seven players that season to average at least 16 points and 10 rebounds per contest.

Each of the last two seasons, the Sixers assigned Moultrie to the D-League for several games, a frustrating experience for the 23-year-old.

Fitting in with the Sixers
Sixers head coach Brett Brown discussed playing Nerlens Noel at the power forward position on Thursday (see story), but the big man’s backup is up for grabs.

Moultrie's competition for those minutes includes Luc Mbah a Moute, Jarvis Varnado, and rookie Jerami Grant.

Last season, Moultrie's conditioning was not where it needed to be, but Brown says that has changed.

"He had a great summer," Brown said. "His body weight is good. He played a lot of basketball. He has come back trying to apply what we are asking him to do. Physically you will walk in and see his skin fold and weight are down. I can't guess any other way, but he must have really put in the time to look good."

Tidbits
Moultrie was suspended five games last spring without pay for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy. In order to receive a suspension of that length, a player must test positive for marijuana three times, according to the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.

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