The Sixers on Wednesday called up the No. 4 scorer in the G League this season.
Marial Shayok practiced with the Sixers and is traveling with them to Milwaukee, according to a team spokesperson. The Sixers will play the NBA-leading Bucks on Thursday night.
The No. 54 pick in this year's draft, Shayok is one of the Sixers' two two-way players. While Norvel Pelle has used up all 45 of the NBA days he's allowed under his two-way deal, Shayok has time remaining. He's played 25 games with the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers' G-League affiliate, and hasn't yet made his regular-season NBA debut.
Shayok's offensive skills are obvious. Though he's not an explosive player, he has a smooth game and has shown he can score in bunches.
He has averaged 23.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists with the Blue Coats, and has shot 36.4 percent from three-point territory on 7.4 attempts per game. Those statistics are boosted a bit by Delaware's fast-paced system, but they're eye-catching regardless.
The Blue Coats' coaching staff has been looking to develop parts of Shayok's game besides his scoring.
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"I think the two areas for him to improve are his on-ball defense, which we work on every day, and his ability to use his scoring to create shots for others," Blue Coats head coach Connor Johnson said on Jan. 4. "So, if someone closes out on him, he can't shoot it, but can he find somebody else? Making that next play is a big point of emphasis for him, and I think that will be what continues to drive his progression."
The 6-foot-5 Shayok has a 7-foot wingspan, which he's trying to use to his advantage.
"Just being locked in throughout the whole play," he said a month ago. "Using my length and making it tough for the offensive player. Just trying to do what I can to cause havoc."
At 24 years old, Shayok is one of the older rookies in the league. He went to Virginia for three years, then transferred to Iowa State and scored 18.7 points per game as a redshirt senior.
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