Philly Sports Jabronis
By Max Rappaport, Sixers.com
On Friday morning, Ronald Roberts woke up, brushed his teeth, jumped in the shower, and gathered his gear for morning shoot-around with the Delaware 87ers in Newark. Not long into his routine, he received an incoming call from Sevens head coach Kevin Young telling him that the Sixers may be interested in calling him up.
The Bayonne, New Jersey native sprung into action, packing a bag and calling his parents, who were set to travel to Delaware to watch him play that night. It wasn’t long before the move became official, and Roberts and his parents were on their way to New York.
After a promising performance with the Sixers in the Orlando Pro Summer League in July, he was invited to join the team in training camp. A quad injury derailed Roberts’ preseason, and the undrafted forward out of St. Josephs was waived on the eve of the 2014-15 regular season.
Shortly after, he was signed by the team’s Development League affiliate, the Sevens, with whom he’s appeared in eight games this year, averaging 17.5 points (67.4 FG%) and 11.8 rebounds in 31.8 minutes.
“I’m just trying to do the same things [with the Sixers] that I had been doing [with the Sevens]. Just trying to do small things, rebound the ball, finish, and help the team get some wins,” he said. “[The Sixers and Sevens] are running a lot of the same stuff. There are a few different plays, but it shouldn’t be too crazy out there. I think I have a good grasp of the plays they’re running up here.”
The last-minute call up of Roberts, triggered by a trade on Thursday that sent big man Brandon Davies to Brooklyn, highlights the value of having a one-to-one affiliate in the D-League that plays its games so close to home.
“We can throw him in a car, and ‘bam,’ he’s here,” Sixers head coach Brett Brown said of the added convenience of Newark, Delaware’s proximity to Philadelphia. “[It’s great] to show support for that program and show young players that they can get called up at any moment.”
Roberts has been one of the most exciting players in the NBDL this season, taking the above-the-rim style of play that made him a fan favorite at Hagan Arena and bringing it with him to Delaware. The 6’8” forward chuckled when asked if he’s going to be looking to show off those same skills tonight in Brooklyn.
“My main focus is to just go out there and get rebounds and let everything else come,” he said.
