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Sixers' Carter-Williams improving at fast pace

Coach Brett Brown says point guard Michael Carter-Williams is learning to control the tempo of the game.

IT IS A VERY difficult balance that coach Brett Brown is looking for from his players, but one that needs to be reached in order for them to become reliable contributors in this league.

The coach believes the best way for his team to play is with a frenzied pace, one that will eventually wear down oppositions, lend to fastbreak opportunities, and sort of negate the need for a halfcourt offense. He wants the play to be at a breakneck speed, but at the same time be under control, make good decisions and protect the basketball.

It's like asking a Wing Bowl contestant to scarf down as many chicken wings as they can in a half hour, but watch their manners while they're doing it.

Michael Carter-Williams is a case in point. Brown knows there are times when the reigning rookie of the year has to try and carry an offense that is limited in its outside shooting prowess, has no real inside game to rely on and is missing its leading scorer in Tony Wroten.

Sometimes that means games that will produce 20 or more shots, with a lot more misses than makes. It will also mean too many turnovers as MCW tries too often to make something out of nothing.

While Brown loves the competitive nature of Carter-Williams and the fact that he wants to be the go-to guy when the team needs a basket, you wonder if perhaps sometimes less would be more from the Syracuse product.

Twice over the past week, Brown has heaped praise upon MCW for his point-guard play, emphasizing the part "point guard." The first time Brown said it was after a tough loss to visiting Toronto on Friday. A Raptors' victory was only sealed when starting All-Star guard Kyle Lowry scored 17 fourth-quarter points. Though disappointed in the loss, Brown was ecstatic with the line by Carter-Williams, which included 12 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. He attempted just eight shots in the process.

In Wednesday's 20-point win over visiting Detroit, Carter-Williams again earned the praise of his coach with a near triple-double of 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. He took just 10 shots. What stood out in both games is that Carter-Williams didn't play slower than usual, nor fewer minutes. It was that he slowed the game down in his head while still playing at the pace Brown prefers. It was almost a perfect world from the point-guard position.

"It's easier to make that point when [he is shooting less and playing better] and it's fair," Brown said. "His presence on the court and the size - he's 6-6 and when he gets a smaller guard, of which there are many, on his hip pocket and he can pass and play like he did - walk a game down. That's a special quality for a young point guard and he definitely did do that. He ran the team and controlled the tempo."

Control of tempo. That is the balance that is so hard to reach when playing at a frenzied pace, but it is how Brown sees moving the team forward. It is why the organization is filled with long, athletic players. It lends to what they want to do on offense and the way Brown wants them to play on the defensive end.

"When you go to a young guy like him [JaKarr Sampson] and you tell him, crystal clear, 'We just want you to guard. Anything else is gravy. Run the floor, but your goal is to play defense.' We have enough people on the floor with JaKarr to create shots where we want to get shots." Brown said. "His energy and his toughness, his athleticism complemented that starting group. With our athletes we hope to grow the program where we can get out to the three-point line [defensively].

"Jerami [Grant] can take a step and go block a shot, from inside the paint and get to shooters quick. We have such a vanilla, simple system. I think the rotations and the clarity of how we rotate on a sideline pick-and-roll or a middle pick-and-roll, that fault step, that half a second where young guys think - and the NBA is just so unforgiving and you get punished because there is such good shooters and good passers - we're now able to move on the flight of the pass and get there quicker and arrive on their doorstep. Whereas before we were thinking a little bit and now the clarity of how they rotate helps them get to those shooters better than it did a month ago."

It's all about progress, where Carter-Williams leads the way. But it's also the progression of the likes of Sampson, Grant, K.J. McDaniels, Robert Covington and, of course, Nerlens Noel. As everyone knows, the reward isn't about wins right now. The reward comes with improvement of the young players the Sixers hope to feature this rebuild around and the others that may become key pieces.

"I think he [Brown] means I controlled the game well," Carter-Williams said of his coach emphasizing the "point guard" praise.

It's exactly what the coach meant. And it was done at the frenetic pace he so desires. That's the type of balance Brown craves and envisions for the future.

Upcoming games

Who:  Timberwolves (8-37) at Sixers (9-37)

When:  Tonight, 7 o'clock

Where:  Wells Fargo Center

TV/Radio:  Comcast SportsNet/The Fanatic (97.5-FM)

Game stuff:  The Timberwolves snapped a 10-game losing streak against Boston on Wednesday, thanks in large part to the return of guard Kevin Martin, who had been sidelined for 2 months with a broken wrist. Martin led the team with 21 points.

Who:  Sixers at Hawks (38-8)

When:  Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m.

Where:  Philips Arena

TV/Radio:  The Comcast Network/The Fanatic (97.5-FM)

Game stuff:  The Hawks collected their franchise-record 17th straight win on Wednesday against Brooklyn as Paul Millsap went for 28 points and 15 rebounds. There is simply no weakness on the Hawks right now as they are dominating in every phase at the offensive end. They have built a double-digit lead in every game during the winning streak.

Who:  Sixers at Cavaliers (27-20)

When:  Monday, 7 o'clock

Where:  Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

TV/Radio:  Comcast SportsNet/The Fanatic (97.5-FM)

Game stuff:  It won't get any easier for the Sixers as they'll face a Cleveland team that won its eighth consecutive game on Wednesday as superstar LeBron James watched with a sprained wrist. Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 55 points. He scored 24 of the Cavs' final 28 points in the win over the Trail Blazers.

Who:  Nuggets (19-28) at Sixers

When:  Tuesday, 7 o'clock

Where:  Wells Fargo Center

TV/Radio:  Comcast SportsNet/The Fanatic (97.5-FM)

Game stuff:  Denver broke a seven-game losing streak on Wednesday in New Orleans. When the Nuggets come to visit, they will be in the middle of a period in which they are playing nine of 11 games on the road.

By the numbers

8:  That's how many times the Sixers have held opponents to under 40 percent shooting in a game this season.

9:  That's how many times the Sixers held a team below 40 percent last season.

9:  That's how many times the Sixers have blocked 10 or more shots a game this season. They did it once last season.