In their fourth game of the Las Vegas Summer League, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the San Antonio Spurs. The Summer Sixers rode a rollercoaster up and down with varying leads, finishing the ride with a 96-80 win.

After a crunch of games to start their Sin City experience, the 76ers got two days off ahead of their game against the Spurs. Stephon Castle, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, did not suit up for the undefeated Spurs, one of just five teams to not yet lose in Vegas. Nonetheless, San Antonio gave Philly a good fight. Nonetheless, the Sixers were in control for most of the game and took the victory.

Here are three takeaways from the 76ers' matchup with the Spurs.

Jared McCain and Adem Bona do their things

Plenty has been written (by yours truly and others) about McCain's nose for the basket and Bona's defensive intensity and versatility. But to open up the game with a sizable lead, the Summer Sixers' marquee rookies flaunted their respective talents.

The Spurs got just one of their first six shot attempts of the game to fall because Bona was everywhere. Side to side and up and down, he covered so much space that San Antonio found it hard to get clean shots. In the second quarter, Bona skied for a block off the glass. The level of difficulty against bigger, better NBA competition will be a lot for him to handle once he gets to the league. But so far, he really has been fantastic, tallying two more blocks and two more steals in this game.

McCain got a corner three and a running floater to fall early on, showing not only his ability to score but more of his confident ball-handling abilities. His quest to prove he can be more of a typical point guard has gone well. However, as has been the case for the first-round rookie, his shooting went ice-cold after those two buckets. Summer League has been a success in the process for McCain but not in the results. If it had to be one way, though, it's best for it to be the former.

The overall takeaways from Bona and McCain, despite the former's fouling issues and the latter's inefficient shooting, should be positive as Summer League comes to a close.

Will Judah Mintz take the 76ers' last two-way contract?

Justin Edwards and David Jones have two of the Sixers' three two-way contracts, so Philly still has one more to give out. Judah Mintz, an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, has made a great case with his last handful of games. In this one, he had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Mintz gets to the free-throw line often, shooting nine free throws in the first half (and making seven). He and Council were perhaps pupils together at the School of Drawing Fouls. Both of them combine crafty drives and finishes in the paint with strength and pure determination. At just 21 years old, the 6-foot-4 guard has legitimate potential.

If the Sixers want to sign one of the prospects they’ve watched in the Summer League to a two-way, Mintz and Keve Aluma are the two leading candidates (excluding Jeff Dowtin Jr., who should simply be signed to a standard deal). Aluma is older and more polished, making him more ready for the NBA. If Philly wants to prioritize readiness because Edwards and Jones are already major works in progress, Aluma is their guy.

However, if the 76ers want to maximize the NBA access to someone with more upside, they should sign Mintz to the two-way. At the very least, they should bring him in for the Delaware Blue Coats.

How David Jones can fit in on offense

David Jones' defense and rebounding abilities are quite good and should earn the undrafted rookie plenty of minutes in the G League. But for him to grow beyond that, he will have to showcase what he can do on offense. He's not going to be a lead scorer or playmaker, and that’s fine, but he'll have to develop his complementary scoring abilities.

Jones hit a hat trick of triples in the third quarter — spotting up in the corner for one, walking into another from roughly straight away, and then connecting on another from the left wing. He also got to the foul line after fighting for an offensive rebound. On the night, he recorded 15 points on 4-8 shooting with six rebounds.

Although he isn’t someone who will consistently break down the defense, Jones seems to have a sense of where to be and what shots to take. He doesn’t overdo or force anything unless it’s a close shot after scrapping for the offensive board. That will do him really well going forward, as will fine-tuning his jumper.