The Sixers and Nets faced off in both teams’ second game of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League. Both teams were in search of their first victories of the July circuit. With Isaiah Joe missing most of the game with a shoulder injury, the Sixers were lost on offense in crunch time in a 91-84 loss to the Nets.
The Sixers started Cassius Winston, Jaden Springer, Isaiah Joe, Malik Ellison, and Charles Bassey.
The Nets started Cam Thomas, David Duke Jr., Kessler Edwards, RaiQuan Gray, and Day’Ron Sharpe.
Likes
Isaiah Joe didn’t pick up the offensive electricity where it left off in the second half of Saturday’s loss to the Raptors, but he showed strides on the defensive side of the ball. His hands were active in the passing lanes, and his anticipation to step away from his man like a free safety when the ball penetrated on the other side of the floor paid dividends as Joe picked off passes from the strong-side drive.
Joe also beat his assignments to spots when they put the ball on the deck and was able to stay in front. There was no bumping him out of position. Joe showed some bulk in legitimately deterring his man’s dribble penetration when he put the ball on the deck.
Dislikes
Isaiah Joe only played 8 minutes in the game due to a shoulder injury.
It’s been a fairly uninspiring showcase for reigning G-League MVP Trevelin Queen. He put for a 9-point effort on 3-for-13 shooting in 18 minutes on Sunday. Queen has spent all of his Summer League time jacking up quick shots for bricks and telegraphing passes for turnovers when he finds himself in possession of the ball. The only thing about Queen that resembles a G-League MVP is his comfort with playing to the game’s pace and leveraging his scoring gravity to lift defenders and dime teammates with timely passes on cuts. But, his quick trigger is frustrating to watch. He’s catching, getting to within 25 feet of the basket, and letting it rip. There’s no problem with sticking shots and then launching on heat checks. But, he’s logging miss after miss. It’s not the brand of basketball that teammates enjoy.
The more you watch him, the more clear it is that Jaden Springer has a long way to go before he’s ready for an NBA offense. The most jarring deficit is strength. As much of a wall as he can be on defense, it takes very little adversity to bother him on offense. If a defender gets a hand on the ball at all, he totally loses control and either flings up a shot to draw a foul or avoid a jump-ball or turnovers it over.
Speaking of lacking in strength, Filip Petrusev needs to bulk up as well. He was unable to move individual defenders on offense, struggling to get around one particular matchup before giving in and tossing up a brick of a 15-footer in search of a foul. On the defensive side, one particular possession stands out. Petrusev was totally man-handled, with a Net essentially paving a baseline driving angle through brute force for a look at a layup.
Things weren’t pretty for Myles Powell, either. He put forth a respectable effort to draw a charge on Day’Ron Sharpe, but instead fell victim to a poster, plus the foul.
The Sixers (0-2) will have off until Wednesday, when they face the Miami Heat (1-0). Tip-off is scheduled for 9 PM, Eastern time. You can catch the action on ESPN2.
