Free agency addition Trendon Watford addresses his fit with Sixers
Per Cleaning the Glass, Watford had an assist percentage of 21.1% in 2024-25 which is in the 92nd percentile. That is a number that will be helpful on a team like Philadelphia as he plays next to the likes of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and close friend Tyrese Maxey.
His fit could be a bit clunky due to him not being an elite 3-point shooter, but Watford keeps defenders honest and can really make plays by putting the ball on the floor and making plays with his passing.
"Just being able to use my IQ to play off of them," Watford said of his fit. "I played with a great guard in Damian Lillard when I was in Portland, so just being able to play off some great players that I've played with already. Just valuing my IQ. I think they're obviously three great players and they're going to be the three guys leading our team. I think it's just finding where I can fit in, using my IQ and using what I can do to be out on the court."
It's rare to see a guy as big as Watford be able to put the ball on the floor and make plays with his passing. The Sixers will be looking to him to provide some secondary ball-handling and playmaking next to Maxey and it sounds like he is ready to do it at a high level.
Of course, he has been training for this moment for as long as he could remember. His father made sure that he has the skills to play on the perimeter since he was a kid.
"I tell this story all the time," he smiled. "I was bigger than everybody else. My dad coached me and would never let a coach put me in the post and was always working on my ball-handling and I guess he knew the bigger picture of me growing and being able to use my ball-handling and get downhill and be able to play make for myself and others so I would say that started—you go back to college and me being able to have the ball in my hands and be able to play make and get guys involved so I think it's been a journey with that."
As mentioned, Watford is not the best 3-point shooter so that is something that could make the fit a bit clunky at times, but there are positive signs. He did shoot 39.7% from deep in the 2023-24 season on 1.1 attempts per game. He upped the attempts to 2.0 in 2024-25 as he shot just 33% from deep. The Sixers will be looking for him to continue upping those attempts and working with him on that shot. It would be a big help for Philadelphia.
"I think I've made big-time progress, especially the last two years with my attempts continuing to go up," Watford said of his shooting. "Now it's just continuing to work on it. Having three great players (Sixers' three stars) that will draw a lot of attention, I'll be able to get a lot of wide-open shots. Just stay in the gym, keep working on it and keep getting better year by year. That's my goal, be better than I was last year."
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