That's a final from Vegas. We're back Tuesday against the @nyknicks. #SummerSixers pic.twitter.com/29iGoJsnzC
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) July 13, 2015
With Jahlil Okafor, T.J. McConnell, Jordan McRae (he of “BUCKETS”) and J.P. Tokoto all getting the night off during last night’s Summer League matchup with the Celtics, one had to ask the question “Where is the scoring going to come from?” The answer? Nowhere.
Ok, that’s not entirely true. The Sixers did manage 76 points on their way to an 85-76 loss to the Celtics. Ex-Florida Gator Scottie Wilbekin led the Sixers with 19 points, including 4-8 shooting from downtown. The only other Sixer in double digits was dat dude Jakarr Sampson with 13. Collectively the team shot 35% from the field.
Okafor and co. were given a rest day since they’ve been balling hard since Orlando Summer League started, leaving the door open for someone to step up. Wilbekin, a 4-year player for Florida, filled the scoring void nicely but is incredibly unlikely to make the team this year. He spent last year in Australia playing for the Cairns Taipans, and has already signed up for the 2015-16 season down under.
It would have been nice to see some of the guys better positioned to make the team step up, guys like Pierre “Pappy Jack” Jackson, Jakarr, maybe even Arsalan Kazemi (all three started). Those three went a combined 10-29 from the floor.
Pappy is coming off an Achilles tear and hasn’t played hoops since the Orlando Summer league last year. He was actually moving well last night, getting to his spots and making a few nice passes. But he could not get his shot to fall at all, including a couple bad missed layups at the rim. He’s still knocking the rust off, so maybe he gets the benefit of the doubt. I’d be surprised if he didn’t get an invite to training camp, given the dearth of guards currently on the squad.
Jakarr … ah Jakarr. Full admission: I have an unreasonable love for Jakarr. It’s mainly because he looks just as ridiculous as his game does. He is so freaking athletic, yet so freaking lost and out of control on the court. He had a couple great finishes at the rim, but in general has not shown much progression in his shooting or decision-making. He’ll probably be on the squad simply due to his versatility and cheap contract (on the books for 2 years at less than 1 million per, both years team options), but it’d be great to see some more progression from him.
While Kazemi didn’t score much in this one, that’s not really his job. Similar to Furkan Aldemir, Kazemi is out there to be high energy, grab boards, set screens, and pester people on the defensive end. He did a nice job with all of that, finishing the game with 13 boards. However, his lack of size combined with the frontcourt depth chart for the Sixers right now makes it hard to see where his minutes would come from. Him and Aldemir strike me as redundant, but I actually like both of them. It’d be nice to see Kazemi stashed in the D-league, and brought up to the squad when injuries present an opportunity.
A few more random thoughts below, but Vegas Summer League picks up again for the Sixers on Tuesday, where they’ll face off with the Knicks and 4th overall draft selection (and international man of mystery) Kristaps Porzingis.
Randomness:
- In case you were wondering, based on some NBAtv sideline reporting, we now know that Nik Stauskas has yet to talk to his childhood idol Allen Iverson.
- In the same interview Stauskas hinted that there is still a chance he might play in Vegas.
- Recent La Salle University grad Steve Zack got the start in the pivot last night, and didn’t look half bad early on, ended up with 8 points, 8 board, 1 steal and 3 blocks. Good to see the Sixers give a spotlight to a local kid, but unlikely Hinkie is looking for even MORE fringe big men.
- Looks like a lot of the Sixers squad is in Vegas right now, as Robert Covington and Isaiah Canaan were glad-handing on the bench with Jerami Grant and Nik Stauskas early in the game. Vegas in July is really turning into quite the destination for both NBA players and fans.
