Kendall Marshall Starting in His Season Debut Tonight, Wroten to Sit

The Sixers will get a big lift at the point guard position tonight when 24-year old Kendall Marshall makes his debut with the team against the Pistons.

Marshall will start in his season debut against the Pistons and is on a 16-minute restriction for his first game back.  His best NBA season came in 2013 with the Lakers where he averaged 8.0 points, 8.8 assists and 1.3 three-pointers in 28.9 minutes per game.

"He has a great feel," Sixers radio broadcaster Tom McGinnis said on the Sports Bash. "That's an NBA passer and it's obvious the team needs a true point guard."

Marshall has been recovering from a pretty severe ACL tear, which Sixers GM Sam Hinkie said the team thought he would be ready to come back from earlier then he did.  With Marshall's return delayed, the Sixers have been short-handed at the point guard position and it has caused them to have problem in many close fourth quarters this season.

According to a piece by ESPN.com NBA writer Zach Lowe, people in Philly felt Marshall would be ready for opening night, instead the team has been forced to use undrafted rookie free agent T.J. McConnell and Isaiah Canaan.

"We predicted it wrong," Hinkie told Lowe in the ESPN.com piece. "That's my fault. I've made plenty of mistakes, and I'm sure I'll make more."

Even with Marshall making his debut tonight, the Sixers will still not be at full strength. Tony Wroten will not play tonight against the Pistons as expected, he is not cleared to play in back-to-back games yet.

Wroten, who made is debut last Saturday against the Nuggets played 17 minutes in a start against the Nets on Thursday, making 3-of-5 from the field for nine points with four rebounds, two assists, one steal.

(Listen to Sixers Radio PxP voice Tom McGinnis discuss who Marshall will help the Sixers)