Sixers' Stauskas expects his Big Ten form to return

GALLOWAY TWP, N.J. - Nik Stauskas wants people to know that making three-pointers is one of his strengths, but not the only one.

"I feel like a lot of people know I can do more than just shoot the basketball," the 76ers shooting guard said at the team's training camp. "People kind of figured that out in college [at Michigan]. Now it's just a matter of taking that next step of proving that in the NBA.

"I'm confident I'll be able to do that."

The Sixers acquired Stauskas from the Sacramento Kings along with power forwards Carl Landry and Jason Thompson (who was later traded), a 2018 protected top-10 draft pick, and the right to swap first-round picks in 2016 and 2017 in July. The Kings received the draft rights to international players Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic.

Stauskas averaged just 4.4 points and made 36.5 percent of his shots as a rookie last season. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Canadian made just 48 of 149 three-pointers. That came one season after he averaged 17.5 points, 3.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds and was named an all-American and Big Ten player of the year at Michigan.

"Coming into last year, I had no clue what to expect," Stauskas said. "I was a little bit nervous, maybe a little bit scared. Coming into the NBA for me was almost a different ball game.

"Looking back on it, that was probably one of the biggest mistakes I made. It's still just basketball. It just happens to be with different players in a different league."

However, Landry said Stauskas' struggles were tied to the Kings' situation. Sacramento had three head coaches last season, and the players were never able to find their groove.

"Being the player of the year in the Big Ten is not easy," Landry said. "I played in the Big Ten [at Purdue]. I think it's definitely the best conference in college basketball.

"Unfortunately, he wasn't able to showcase his talent the way he could have."

Landry believes Stauskas will be a good fit for the Sixers.

The 21-year-old regained his confidence while playing for Team Canada in the FIBA Americas Tournament in Mexico. He made 50 percent of his three-pointers and averaged 12.3 points.

He is a native of Etobicoke, Ontario, and one would have expected to Stauskas to play hockey instead of basketball. "I don't know what happened," he said. "I never got into hockey."

Soccer was the first sport he played. But after he broke his arm at about age 5, he switched to hoops and it clicked. Stauskas' parents had a basketball court built when he was about 8 so he could play year-round.

"Since I was young, no one even thought I could get to this point," Stauskas said. "No matter where I was playing, everybody always told me I wasn't good enough. I always played with a chip on my shoulder."

For him, that was always the most exciting part - proving people wrong.

Stauskas is at his best when he's having fun and playing with a swagger. "I lost that a little bit last year," he said. "I think I have it back now."

kpompey@phillynews.com

@PompeyOnSixers

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