Alexey Shved

Alexey Shved is entering his third season in the NBA, having played his first two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. As a sophomore, he averaged 4.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 0.5 three-pointers made in 11 minutes per game through 63 games played. He shot 32 percent from the field on 3.8 attempts per game, 76 percent from the free-throw line on 1.4 attempts per game, and 29 percent from three-point territory on 1.6 attempts per game. Those numbers represent a significant step backward for Shved, who was much more efficient and more heavily used during his rookie season. Part of his decline was due to the improved health of starter Ricky Rubio, whose absence for 25 games during the 2012-13 season created a window of opportunity for Shved, and the arrivals of Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin before the 2013-14 season, crowding the depth chart. Those changes, however, do nothing to explain Shved's steep downturn in field goal percentage. In Philadelphia now, Shved will be competing against less talented players for the roles of backup point guard and starting shooting guard. Shved is a sort of handyman who lacks any one characteristic skill but also only has one statistical negative – his poor shooting. If he can improve his shooting efficiency and earn a starter's workload, Shved could be a cheap source of assists and steals.