KENTAVIOUS Caldwell-Pope

Caldwell-Pope played 51 games for the Grizzlies last season, averaging 21.3 minutes. His line was 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists, with 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks. He turned the ball over 1.2 times a game. The shooting numbers were uneven. He hit 41.0 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three, with a true shooting mark of 53.3 percent. His usage sat at 17.3 percent, which tracks for a complementary guard rather than a primary option. His plus-minus was minus-2.2. The brightest number was at the free throw line, where he shot 91.3 percent. Those are last season's figures, with a different team, and the 76ers are betting that a change of scenery and role can lift the efficiency.

The 91.3 percent free throw mark from last season stands out in an otherwise modest shooting profile. It points to a shooter whose mechanics are sound even when the three-point number dipped to 31.6 percent. For a guard who spends most of his possessions off the ball, the gap between 91.3 at the line and 31.6 from deep is the thing to watch in Philadelphia. If the three-point shooting climbs back, the rest of the profile, including the 53.3 true shooting percentage from last season, moves with it. Early returns are small samples. He scored 10 against the Knicks on Oct. 20 and 7 against the Celtics on Oct. 16. Those two games do not settle anything, but they show the minutes are there if the shots fall.

Caldwell-Pope is not on the injury report. His recent history is short and manageable. On Sept. 6 he was listed day-to-day with a right finger injury, and he was cleared on Oct. 1. On Oct. 10 he was listed day-to-day for rest, and he was cleared again on Oct. 16. The rest listing matched the Oct. 10 game against Boston, in which he did not play. Since the Oct. 16 clearance he has played both games on the schedule, logging 20.8 and 26.1 minutes. For a 13-year veteran, a finger issue in September and a rest day in October are routine. There is nothing on the report right now that should limit his availability.

The split between his last stretch in Memphis and his first games in Philadelphia tells a story. In early February with the Grizzlies, he was logging real minutes: 26.2 against Denver, 30.9 against Portland, 22.5 against Sacramento. The results were mixed, with a 15-point game against Golden State on Feb. 9 and another 15 against Sacramento on Feb. 4, but also a 4-point outing against Minnesota on Feb. 2. In Philadelphia, his early minutes were lighter. He played 12.8 minutes against New York on Oct. 5 and 12.4 against Brooklyn on Oct. 8. Then the workload jumped. He played 20.8 minutes against Boston on Oct. 16 and 26.1 against New York on Oct. 20, his biggest minute total since the Portland game in February.

There is no trade or roster chatter attached to Caldwell-Pope right now. That fits where he is. He is a 33-year-old guard on a new team, not on the injury report, and the minutes have been trending up over the last two games. The front office appears to have brought him in to play, and the early rotation usage backs that up. For fans, the questions this season are about production, not availability or his place on the roster. The numbers worth watching are the ones that lagged last season in Memphis: 41.0 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three. If those climb while the free throw shooting stays near 91.3 percent, Philadelphia has a useful veteran guard on its hands.