In his first two years as General Manager, Sam Hinkie has already drafted a handful of players that did not or will not immediately play for Philadelphia. One, Nerlens Noel, made his debut after a year of not suiting up for the Sixers on Saturday. According to Dei Lynam of CSN Philly, Arsalan Kazemi is expected to follow him and make his debut Tuesday.
Kazemi, an athletic freak that got fans excited after a strong collegiate career full of highlight dunks at Rice and Oregon, appeared for the Sixers in the Orlando Summer league last year as well. He spent the 2013-14 season in his native land of Iran, where he averaged 12.5 point and 11 rebounds for the Petrochimi Bandar. Zakemi, the first player ever drafted from Iran, shot 58.4 % from the field.
Playing in the Summer League, Kazemi will hope to answer a few questions about himself. The first being, what does he bring to the team, having been away for a year. Standing at 6’7” and 226 lbs., his body and size also raise questions about his positioning.
Though he’s athletic, Kazemi is too small to be an NBA four. But there are also concerns on whether he can play the wing position and guard on the perimeter. He hears these concerns, and talked about them with Lynam:
"Last year they were saying I was an undersized four-man," Kazemi said. "I can guard the perimeter but I still need to work on the perimeter. I think I work on my shot a little bit. Hopefully, I will show it during the games."
The 24-year-old also spoke about his organization and coaches, they people he will look to impress and show off his improved shot to during these Summer League games. He seems committed to being a 76er in the long haul and establishing himself in the NBA.
"The Sixers are my team," Kazemi said. "I wanted to see everyone, all the coaches. I still want to join this team and come here and play. I wanted to come here and show them what I added to my game this year."
Because of all the players not playing, those returning from injury or returning from overseas qualifies as exciting news. Seeing each player gives the team’s management and the fans a chance to collect information on the players and best decide who is a long-term piece and who is just filling out the roster as, of course, Together We Build.
