It's a bit strange to think that today's Orlando Summer League game between the Sixers and Magic is probably the second most exciting Sixers game of 2014 (the first definitely being the night AI's jersey was retired), but that's where were at. The Sixers are selling hope, Sixers fans are buying hope in droves, and the NBA Summer Leagues are basically a hope flea market. Browsing fans think, "Oh, I bet with a little polish this $4 shooting guard could turn into a $75 point guard." You don't expect to find anything great … but you're hoping to find something good.
Although this year perhaps Sixers fans had slightly higher hopes for this particular summer league game, as today was the debut of Nerlens Noel, he of sitting out an entire year after ACL surgery and pre-game shooting contests with Brett Brown. Not only are we excited to finally see what wonderful basketball prowess lurks below that flat top, but with the drafting of Joel Embiid, this debut takes on an added sense of urgency. Sixers fans want some proof that this whole sit-and-wait approach to drafting is actually worth it. And while the Sixers ultimately fell to the Magic 83-77, Nerlen's performance was more important than getting the W (or the hockey-style points awarded to the winner … along with points for winning quarters …. Orlando Summer League is confusing!)
Nerlens stuffed the box score with 19pts, 2 rebs, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 4 TOs, and 5 fouls. With arms and legs and hair and quickness like his, it's not an overstatement to say he was EVERYWHERE. He started the game with a nice play on the block showcasing his footwork and ending with an emphatic dunk. Clearly Nerlens's work with big man coach Greg Foster has been paying dividends, as his footwork looked excellent most of the game. He couldn't always finish, but he flashed an array of drop steps and rip throughs, finished with both the left and the right hands on spins both towards and away from the hoop. Nerlens showed off excellent speed, using quick hands to get those 4 steals, and even taking Orlando center (and one of many Sixer journeymen from last season) Dewayne Dedmon off the dribble from the foul line and converting a nifty and-1. The lack of boards for Nerlens seemed a bit flukey; dude was boxing out like an animal on every shot, but the balls kept bouncing away from him.
As for negatives, lets hope those pre-game shooting contests continue with Coach Brown because when Nerlens stepped out of the paint, he turned into a bricklayer. He just didn't seem comfortable on multiple shots from the 12-15 foot range. On the plus side though, he went 7-7 from the line, an aspect of his game even Hinkie commented on the other day as being very important to keeping Nerlens on the floor. Overall, Sixers fans should be enthused by what they saw today. Nerlens looked quick, confident, displayed great potential, excellent footwork, and ultimately was the leading scorer of the game in 26 minutes of action.
The other big storyline of the game was Pierre Jackson (can we just follow his twitter lead and go with Pappy Jack?), obtained (for the 2nd time) by the Sixers in a draft night trade from the Pelicans. Ol' Pappy looked fantastic in the first quarter, scoring 7 pts on 3-5 shooting, readily getting into the paint and breaking down the Orlando D. All the sudden he went down with an ankle injury, and then a short while later the word broke.
#Sixers guard Pierre Jackson tears right Achilles in summer league game, according to team's initial diagnosis. http://t.co/D0opmPuIKC
— Jason Wolf (@JasonChadWolf) July 5, 2014
As outlined in this post from Frank, the Sixers are going to cover the cost of his rehab. But this is sad on multiple levels. First, Pappy was going to get a chance to play this year, and now his season is likely over. For a D-league player with promise, opportunity is all you want and his was just stripped away. Have to feel for the guy. Then there's the ramifications for our squad, which as currently constructed is light on serviceable guards. We could have used a guy of Pappy's ilk off the bench, and now we're left with Casper Ware again (who looked good today but couldn't stick with the team last year) and the specter of Jeremy Lin. Thoughts out to Pappy for a full and speedy recovery.
A couple quick thoughts:
- I was surprised to see Victor Oladipo starting for the Magic, which is basically the same as if we had started MCW. Not surprisingly he looked like the best player on the floor, and played no small part in the Sixers slipping quickly behind in the start of the 4th quarter.
- Sometimes in Summer League, it's what you DON'T do that's noteworthy. Many of the young guns (Nerlens, Aaron Gordon, etc) have too much frenetic energy which leads to sloppy plays. Guys with some NBA experience (like Oladipo) don't make those sloppy plays, they play with more poise and pace. And those sloppy plays were noticeably absent from Hollis Thompson's game. Dude looked like a vet playing in summer league, playing a smart and patient 26 minutes while pulling down 14 boards. His ceiling is low, but he can be a serviceable player this year.
- KJ McDaniels showed off some of the elite athleticism that made him the Sixers 32nd pick. He had a block in the 2nd quarter on a floater, and it was like he waited for the ball to reach it's peak before jumping up to swat it, just to flash his ups. He also showed some real hustle, getting back on D on multiple runouts when the rest of the Sixers gave up on the play. Could be fun to watch this year.
- Ronald Roberts Jr., out of hometown St. Joe's, had a nice game as well, dropping 12pts and 9rebs and one massive nasty put-back dunk. He was a big presence around the rim, and will be an interesting guy to watch in the next few Summer league tilts.
Game #2 is tomorrow at 5pm against the Thunder summer squad, so set those DVRs and get your flat tops in check.
