The Philadelphia 76ers put on a show against the Indiana Pacers in their second summer league game. They narrowly blew a 24-point lead, which they built in the third quarter, but the Pacers stormed back to make the showdown competitive and forced overtime.
Rookie Labaron Philon Jr. continued to impress, helping the 76ers by scoring a team-high 24 points. Philly struggled mightily shooting from beyond the arc, but staved off the Pacers by holding them to 40% from the field. The Pacers threw multiple bodies at Philon, yet he stayed poised and used his size to score over defenders.
His ballhandling and passing allowed him to make the right reads throughout the night and mitigate the team’s turnovers.
After the Pacers cut their deficit to one with 1:14 left in the final quarter, Matt Rogers nailed a massive 3-pointer. Rogers has shown his ability to be an effective sparkplug off the bench in the first two summer league matchups. He missed just one shot against the Pacers, going 7-for-8 from the floor.
Philadelphia’s defense and quickness in transition allowed them to get up 22 more shot attempts than Indiana did. A key takeaway so far is the team’s unselfishness in making the right read. There were several moments toward the end of the game in which players passed up good shots for great ones.
Moving forward, playing fast and moving the ball will be important in wearing down their opponents and getting easy buckets.
Areas of improvement
3-point shooting will be a key department that the Sixers need to strengthen. Much of the roster couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc. Being able to pull out a victory despite poor 3-point shooting is a positive sign that the team can find other ways to win.
The 76ers have also had difficulty making free throws. Against the Pistons, they went 63%. Against the Pacers, they shot a woeful 50%. Philon was a 78.8% shooter from the charity stripe at Alabama. In close games down the stretch, free throws may end up deciding games. If Philon can shoot at or above his college average, he will give his team a great advantage.
Optimism for the future
The 76ers have shown their fight in clutch games while also continuing to learn and develop. Summer league repetitions will help players become more acclimated and ease into regular-season games.
Philon already possesses a myriad of skills that will easily be transferable alongside Philly’s all-stars. It may only be two games, but the summer league squad is showing they can contribute to winning basketball.
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