Sixers' Latest Singing Derrick Walton is no Stranger to Doc Rivers

The Sixers bring a former member of the Los Angeles Clippers on board for training camp.

Just hours before Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers inked veteran guard Derrick Walton Jr. to a one-year deal. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, the deal is non-guaranteed.

In other words, Walton's spot on the Sixers' roster for next season isn't guaranteed either. In a week, the Sixers will be back in Camden, New Jersey partaking in training camp ahead of the 2020-2021 NBA season.

As the roster fills out, the Sixers' front office is adding a few camp bodies to get the roster to 20 players. Walton comes in as a new face to the 76ers organization, but he's a familiar face to Sixers' new head coach, Doc Rivers.

The former undrafted guard out of Michigan has bounced around for the last few seasons. After a brief stint with the Miami Heat during the 2017-2018 season, Walton Jr. found himself on the Los Angeles Clippers, playing for Doc Rivers for 23 games just last year. 

Although Walton wasn't much of a contributor during that time as he averaged just under ten minutes on the floor, he left the former Clippers head coach impressed with his willingness to shoot the ball.

“He’s been in big games in his life,” Rivers told the Los Angeles Times last December in regards to Walton. “What I like about him is he can make shots. The one thing he’ll do is shoot the ball, and you need guys who are capable shooters on the floor.”

Shooters were almost foreign to the 76ers last season. Outside of a few role players, the Sixers didn't have anybody who could be relied on when launching the deep ball. This season, the Sixers' front office is looking to change that.

Lately, they've dished out several players to acquire Seth Curry, Danny Green, and Terrance Ferguson. Although those three have a much better shot at making the final roster this season, Walton is no scrub from beyond the arc.

In 42 career games, most of which occurred with the Clippers, Walton has drained nearly 42-percent of his three-point attempts. The chances of the former Clippers guard making Philly's final roster is slim -- but the recent addition of Walton makes it very clear that the 76ers are doing all they can to upgrade the shooting department.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_