Pistons 96, 76ers 81: Five Takeaways from Today’s Game

By Evan Krawczuk, Contributing Writer

The Philadelphia 76ers' Summer-League team has lost another game, being defeated by the Detroit Pistons by a score of 96-81. It was not a great game for the Sixers, obviously, but here are some of the most notable takeaways from today’s game.

Matisse Thybulle finishes up a good Summer League performance

The Sixers' first-round draft pick had a phenomenal first half, in which he shot 4-for-5, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He was also excellent on the defensive end, totaling one steal and multiple pass deflections. His steal lead to a fast break dunk and his slashing ability lead to a slam on another possession.

another work of art.@MatisseThybulle | #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/5LetnF4O1m

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 10, 2019

His second half was not as great. Thybulle went 0-for-3 from the field and failed to score a single point in the second half, finishing the game with 12 points. He showed throughout the Summer League that he has the potential to be a solid role player in the NBA, but he clearly has some work to do to reach that potential.

The Summer League version of the 76ers can shoot from outside

A big concern for the 76ers this upcoming season is three-point shooting. That wasn’t the case for the Summer League Sixers today. Thybulle shot 2-for-4, Marial Shayok made 2-for-4, P.J. Dozier went 2-for-3 and Zhaire Smith shot 2-for-5. Thybulle and Smith are expected to make the team this fall and could contribute off the bench come October. All in all, the Sixers shot 40.9 percent from three in the Summer League.

Z FOR THREEE!@zhaire_smith | #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/hW7WGU2rip

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 10, 2019

Norvel Pelle and Christ Koumadje struggle defensivelyThe Centers

The 76ers are still looking for a rotation-type big man for this fall, but they shouldn’t look at the Summer-League team for that. Norvel Pelle and Christ Koumadje are the two centers on the Summer-League team and they did not play well defensively on Wednesday. Both Pelle and Koumadje would have fouled out by the 3rd quarter and were unwilling to step out on the perimeter to defend the Pistons big men, who totaled five threes agains the Sixers. Pelle did block a few shots but seemed scared to step out of the paint and left his man wide open at points.

Turnover struggles continue against Pistons

Turnovers are an issue almost all young players have. They make poor decisions passing the ball, or they try to do too much on the offensive end and they get out of control as a result. The Sixers committed a brutal 20 turnovers against Detroit. One positive takeaway from this is that Thybulle and Smith only had one turnover each. Hopefully that ball security can rub off on some of their Summer League teammates because 20 turnovers is way too many.

76ers struggled in the Summer League

The Sixers Summer League team lost by 15 points today and 14 points on Saturday. I understand its Summer League and the games don’t really matter, but getting embarrassed in both of those games as well as being down by as many as 31 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday is atrocious.  Obviously, only two, maybe three of these guys will be on the Sixers come October, but losing like this is unacceptable and that message should be emphasized throughout the entire organization.