The Philadelphia 76ers had what felt like 100 picks in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft. They used one of them, 58th overall, to select J.P. Tokoto out of the University North Carolina and now they have reportedly agreed to a deal with Tokoto, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The 76ers were reportedly hopeful that Tokoto would spend this upcoming season overseas to develop but he had other ideas and was intent on being in training camp with Philadelphia. The deal is a one year non-guaranteed tender for $525,000 and would allow Tokoto to become a free agent after this upcoming season. The 76ers could make Tokoto a restricted free agent next season if they decide to extend him a qualifying offer but that depends on Tokoto's performance.
Tokoto is no lock to make the 76ers roster as he is the 17th player to get a contract and there should be plenty of competition in training camp. There will be a lot of wings players in 76ers camp specifically which is the position Tokoto plays and he will have a lot to prove.
Many people were surprised by Tokoto entering the draft last season and thought it was a mistake for him to leave UNC early. Tokoto was coming off a bad year with the Tar Heels and still has a lot of work to do to be ready for NBA play. Tokoto was an ACC first-team all-defense selection last season but his problem is on the offensive side of the ball where he struggles to shoot.
Tokoto is a tremendous athlete and has good size at 6 foot-6. He could finish above the rim and lock down anybody on the perimeter but his offensive game is extremely limited as he showed in his junior year of college. Last season Tokoto averaged 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game but only shot 43 percent from the field which isn't good at all especially when you consider he only took 32 shots from three point range.
Tokoto's defensive ability should get him looks in the NBA along with his athleticism but if he wants to stick he is going to have to be able to make jump shots. As of right now Tokoto's jump shot is similar to Tony Allen in that other teams won't even have to guard him past the free throw line. The NBA is a "3 & D" league now and Tokoto has the defense he just needs to add a jump shot to the mix to be a successful NBA player.
