By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff
The Philadelphia 76ers went 0-3 in the first part of Summer League play and on Wednesday, the tournament round begins. Each team is guaranteed at least two more games and the Sixers' first opponent will have a familiar face. On Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the Sixers will sqaure off against Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns. Unlike the Sixers, the Suns went 3-0 in the opening three games of the Summer League.
The Sixers have had trouble on both sides of the ball to start the Summer League, with not one player really impressing in the first three games. Furkan Korkmaz's 40-point outburst in the opener was big, but he was non-existent over the final two games. First-round pick Zhaire Smith was shaky in the opener, rebounded nicely in the second game and regressed in game three. Fellow first-rounder Landry Shamet sprained his ankle in game one and draft stash prospect Jonah Bolden hasn't done much to solidify himself a spot on the roster. Korkmaz leads the Sixers in scoring with 15 points per game, but that stat comes mostly from his first game and he's shooting 31 percent from the floor. Big man Cameron Oliver is averaging 10.5 points while Bolden is shooting 38 percent from the floor, averaging 10 points and nine boards.
For the Suns, they are led by No. 1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton. He scored 17 against Orlando, 10 against Dallas and 21 against the Kings. Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges, selected 10th overall by the Sixers before being dealt to Phoenix, is averaging 6.3 points on 7-for-13 shooting.