Utah Jazz Alumni: 76ers fans aren’t appreciating Raul Neto
By Josh Padmore
Former Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto hasn’t exactly been a fan favorite during his first season with his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia 76ers fans are understandably very frustrated right now. Their team has under-performed all season long, and are 9 games below .500 on the road. I think we all know that if you want to win in the playoffs, you need to be a good road team. They’re also frustrated with a certain former Utah Jazz player.
76ers All-Star Ben Simmons even came out and called his team soft following a blowout loss to the Miami Heat on Monday.
With all that being said, 76ers fans have been livid for most of the season. Believe it or not, I’ve seen Raul Neto trending on Twitter on multiple occasions this season. Their fans haven’t particularly liked the former Jazzman. Neto has been in a funk over his last three games, missing his last 14 field goal attempts.
Many 76ers fans want Trey Burke, another former Jazzman, to play over Neto. Jazz fans know this narrative very well, as Burke’s father made it well known he wasn’t happy with his son playing behind the Brazilian.
Jazz fans know Neto as a pesky point guard who plays hard and plays with pace. While I agree it was time to move on from Neto, the way he’s being treated is unfair. Maybe it’s because he’s replacing T.J. McConnell, the beloved former Sixer who won over their fans with his effort. Neto plays hard too, as noted, but McConnell is at least one step higher.
Overall, Neto is averaging 4.1 points and 1.5 assists per game. He’s shooting 43.8-percent from the field and a solid 38.1-percent from deep. Not flashy numbers by any means, but he gets the job done.
Neto isn’t the most hated Sixer right now. 76ers fans have been waiting for Brett Brown to be fired for well over a year now, and Al Horford is seemingly trending during every game.
In my opinion, their team is poorly put together with little-to-no spacing. There’s a lot more people to be mad at if you’re a Philly fan.
Checking in on fan favorite Ekpe Udoh. dark. Next
Utah Jazz fans are already not fond of the Sixers and their fans, mostly due to the feud between Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons during their rookie seasons. This will add to the tension between the two fanbases, as Neto is still loved in Salt Lake City.