Stackhouse, Third in NBA Draft, Signs Three-Year Deal With 76ers

Jerry Stackhouse, the third pick in last June’s NBA draft, signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, becoming the highest selection so far to join his new team.

“The word to describe Jerry Stackhouse is ferocious ,” said John Lucas, Philadelphia’s coach and general manager. “He’s a competitor and a potential superstar.”

Under the league’s new rookie salary scale, Stackhouse will receive approximately $6.855 million over three years. He left North Carolina as a sophomore.

The 21-year-old guard joins NBA veterans Vernon Maxwell and Richard Dumas in a new lineup that Lucas hopes will give the 76ers the speed and aggressiveness they need to improve on last year’s 24-58 record, fourth worst in the league.

The team is looking to the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Stackhouse to become its dominant shooting guard, one who is not only a danger from the three-point line, but a constant threat to drive and open up the lane.

In his two seasons at North Carolina, Stackhouse averaged 15.7 points per game.