Sixers' Trendon Watford explains where his versatility comes from
Standing at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Watford is an underrated passer as he averaged 2.6 assists in the 2024-25 season and had an assist percentage of 21.1% per Cleaning the Glass. He has the ability to play on the perimeter and make things happen on the offensive end while also playing inside and being able to provide an athletic component at the big man spots.
One has to wonder where Watford found all of this versatility. It's hard to play multiple positions in the NBA, but it helped that he was put in the right position to develop that aspect of his game.
"Just playing different positions since I got in the league," Watford started. "I came in as probably a small-ball 5 with Portland and sort of transitioned to playing backup point guard the last two years and point forward the last two years so just being comfortable with the ball and being comfortable playing off great players."
Playing with the Trail Blazers was a big help for Watford as he was in a rebuilding situation which led to a lot of experimentation on the floor in terms of roles. He will be able to play plenty of different positions on the floor for the Sixers as he played bigger with the Blazers and then played a more perimeter role while with the Brooklyn Nets.
While he was able to play off Damian Lillard during his time in Portland, Watford will be looking to play off Joel Embiid, Paul George, and close friend Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia.
"Coming from Portland playing with Dame, playing with a great point guard like that, I never had the chance to play with an MVP-caliber big man," Watford finished. "So I'm looking forward to that."
One can certainly expect Watford to play a number of different roles in Philadelphia. Especially, when considering how coach Nick Nurse loves to use players in different roles so this is a great situation for him. Now, he just needs to perform on the floor to help the Sixers bounce back from a miserable 24-58 season.
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