Brandon Apter (@bapter23), Managing Editor
With the Sixers prepared to get as many as four first round picks in the upcoming draft, there are plenty of names to familiarize yourself with beyond Ben Simmons. Philadelphia could potentially end up with the first overall pick, another between 14-20 and a third between the 27 and 28 spots. The top three protected Lakers pick is unlikely to convey this season and that's okay, especially if Joel Embiid and Dario Saric join the Sixers next year. While there are a variety of players for the Sixers to consider beyond Simmons in the draft, as the first round moves along, they'll need to focus on finding a guard to run their offense even if the team decides to keep Ish Smith past this season.
One name that has come up in a few mock drafts going to the Sixers late in the first round is Maryland guard, Melo Trimble. The 6-foot-3 point guard could provide Philadelphia some stability they've been seeking at the point. If you've watched the Sixers at any point since they acquired Ish Smith, you notice that they are a completely different team with a competent point guard out there. Smith isn't by any means the long term answer at the point, which is why Trimble should be strongly considered with the Sixers pick they receive from the Heat, if it falls outside the top 10. His main focus is his passing game, setting up his teammates for good shots, but Trimble's speed and athleticism makes him a threat to penetrate the lane to score inside while also contributing with a strong mid-range shot off of screens.
Trimble is what most would consider a true point guard. Averaging 13.7 points and 5.7 assists per game as of Tuesday, he's has been a large part in Maryland's successful season that has them at 16-2 and 5-1 in Big Ten play. In a recent article for the Washington Post, Thom Loverro covered the Terrapin's 100-65 win over Ohio State, a game that saw Trimble score just eight points. His ability to set the table for his teammates and control the pace of the game seemed to be what stood out, not only to his own head coach, but to Ohio State's staff as well.
But the player Ohio State coach Thad Matta spoke of in awe after the game was Melo Trimble.
“When you have a point guard like Trimble, you welcome in three guys of that talent level and I think that he probably deserves a ton of credit because he has a very unique ability to keep everybody happy,” Matta said.
Yes, even on a day where Trimble, averaging 13.7 points per game and 5.7 assists, scored just eight points, the sophomore point guard is still the player that college basketball has fallen in love with — the smart, fearless, smiling assassin who, after a start that included three turnovers, settled down to give out nine assists and set the tone for the blowout victory.
“What a great game for Melo,” Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon said. “He seemed a little out of kilter, but nine assists, didn’t turn the ball over after the first eight minutes of the game, and it was good to see him get to the rim. He had that burst today, and that was good to see.”
“Melo had a couple of turnovers because they were taking things away,”Turgeon “But, being the great point guard that he is, he started to recognize the situation.”
For starters, the main thing that stands out here is not only Trimble's lively personality, but his ability to adjust his game to how he is playing that day. The perfect example is mentioned above. After a trio of turnovers early in the game, Trimble didn't turn it over the rest of the way en route to nine assists in his teams' victory. He saw what the defense was giving him and used that to succeed as the game progressed.
ALSO READ: 2016 NBA Draft: Projecting where the Sixers could pick in first, second rounds
In the next excerpt from Loverro's article, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon goes on about Trimble while the sophomore himself focuses on passing, his favorite part of playing the game.
The situation was that Maryland needed Trimble, the passing point guard — a role he loves.
“I guess the first couple of minutes, I thought about the last game, but then when I started to get going with my assists I just kind of lost that memory,” Trimble said. “It shows that not one man needs to score a lot of points on this team to win. Tonight wasn’t my night to make a lot of points, so making the open pass was key.
“The part of my game I am most proud of is my passing,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t think I could pass, and I am surprising a lot of people. Like today.”
His assist numbers have jumped from his freshman year, where he was averaging just three per game. Now, he's averaging 5.7 and has dished out five or more assists in six of his last eight games. His field goal percentage has also gotten better, sitting at 47 percent in 2015-16 compared to 44.4 last season. Trimble's best game of the year so far came against UNC back on December 1st. He scored 23 points and tallied 12 assists in Maryland's 89-81 loss. Highlights of that game below:
Trimble has gained praise from his own coaches to NCAA staff across the nation, most recently Michigan coach John Beilein, who compared him to Trey Burke, 2013 national player of the year. Beilein refers to Trimble's game against Wisconsin, when the sophomore hit a game-winning three with one second remaining to give Maryland a 63-60 victory.
“When Wisconsin hit the three to tie the game the other day, it was like Trimble just comes down the court and there was no panic all,” Beilein told reporters. “It reminded me of a guy we had as well. It’s just, ‘OK, I guess I just got to win now,’ and he did it. So, he, obviously, like Trey Burke, is a tremendous player.”
Trimble is a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where he attended Bishop O'Connell High School before joining to Terps as a freshman.
