Carter-Williams will start slowly as he recovers from surgery

On Oct. 30, 2013, Michael Carter-Williams torched the Miami Heat for 22 points, 12 assists, 9 steals, and 7 rebounds in his inaugural regular-season game.

There's a chance that the 76ers' second-year point guard won't get a chance to duplicate the feat in his second season opener.

"I don't know," coach Brett Brown said Thursday regarding Carter-Williams' availability for the start of the regular season. "But at the start of our preseason games, I expect to give Tony [Wroten] the ball" at point guard.

Carter-Williams, last season's rookie of the year, had surgery May 6 to repair the labrum in his right shoulder. He will not be a full participant at training camp, which begins Tuesday at Richard Stockton College in Galloway Township, N.J.

The recovery time for a torn labrum usually is two to four months. The labrum is cartilage in the shoulder joint.

Brown pointed out that team doctors said Carter-Williams was a little ahead of schedule.

"What does that mean in regards to when he is actually going to play an NBA game, we still don't know," the coach said. "But today, he's handled it like a real pro."

On the positive side, the 6-foot-6 Syracuse product now weighs 196 pounds after adding 11 pounds over the summer.

For now, Carter-Williams will not participate in all-out, five-on-five scrimmages at the start of training camp. Instead, a lot of his workouts will consist of shooting drills.

The 22-year-old is coming off a magical rookie campaign. It was a season in which he was mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

Carter-Williams led all rookies in scoring (16.7 points per game), assists (6.3), rebounds (6.2), and steals (1.86). He, Robertson (1960-61), and Alvan Adams (1975-76) are the only players to lead all rookies in scoring, assists, and rebounds in a season, dating back to 1950-51.

He also joined Robertson and Johnson (1979-80) as the only rookies to average at least 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.

Carter-Williams was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month four times. He's the first player in franchise history to win the award more than twice in a season.

He will be the team's lone returning starter to open the season.

The Sixers may have added some shooting-guard depth by agreeing to terms with former Minnesota Timberwolve Malcolm Lee on a free-agent contract.

Lee has played in 35 games since he was drafted in the second round by the Timberwolves in 2011.

The team also added two assistant coaches. Philadelphia native Eugene Burroughs is the new shooting coach. The former Episcopal Academy standout comes to the Sixers from Marist College, where he was an assistant.

The Sixers also hired Sean Rooks as their big-man coach. Rooks played 12 seasons as a center in the NBA. He spent last season as an assistant coach for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League.

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