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The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Memphis Grizzlies in their second game of the Salt Lake City Summer League. The Sixers let a big early lead slip away and found themselves in a back-and-forth game the rest of the way, losing 87-85 on a last-second floater from Jaylen Wells on a broken play.
The Sixers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Summer League opener thanks to a scoring explosion from Ricky Council IV and solid performances from Jared McCain and Adem Bona. Key Grizzlies prospects Zach Edey and GG Jackson were inactive for this game after losing in overtime to the Utah Jazz last night. The SLC round-robin is a war of attrition with three games in as many days, so it will be interesting to see if Philly rests some of its players tomorrow night.
Here are three key takeaways from the 76ers' Summer League showdown against the Grizzlies.
Jared McCain drains 'em from downtown
McCain looked spectacular in his first game, showing his ability to create shots for himself in the paint, one of the main swing skills that will determine whether he reaches or approaches his full potential. This performance was closer to the opposite showing, as he didn’t score well inside the arc but flashed his playmaking and three-point shooting talents.
The Grizzlies had feisty defender Cam Spencer, a UConn product and national champion, match up with McCain. The rookie out of Duke blew by him time after time, kicking it back out to his teammates for either open looks or a scrambled defense to drive against. The reads he made out of the pick-and-roll were impressive, too, as he can zip the ball to a teammate with one hand really nicely. There were some moments where he couldn’t get a step on his defender and meaninglessly dribbled into traffic, a sign that he really has to initiate the contact himself as an undersized guard.
McCain drained his first triple of Summer League on a transition look from the left corner. Then he drilled another from a little further out on the same side. The jumper is just as pure as it was at the college level, with mechanics that look clean even on the move.
Sixers rookie Jared McCain nails back-to-back 3-pointers 🔥
Is McCain the shooter in the class? 🤔pic.twitter.com/3A3YF5PbKt
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 9, 2024
McCain not only shoots the ball so well but he works hard to get open, running around screens and joking handsy defenders away. Although most of his makes came earlier in the game, he shot 3-7 from downtown while recording 12 points and four assists.
Adem Bona and David Jones do the dirty work
Adem Bona once again got the starting nod at center and flashed his all-world athleticism. Additionally, David Jones' hard-nosed play really popped in the matchup with Memphis, the city where he spent his final collegiate season.
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Bona's tendency to hit the deck hard will surely keep everyone on their seats while he polishes his game. But his athletic pop is really something, which he showed by jumping right off the floor to block a layup from a cutter who got loose. He also did a much better job playing vertical on defense without trying to jump on his opponent's shoulders, coming away with five blocks. Bona came up with a clutch block and two made free throws in the final minute.
Jones, who signed a two-way contract with the 76ers after going undrafted, gives them a physical, stocky presence at the forward spot. His defense was really stout in this one, rotating down to the basket to mess up the Grizzlies' offense when they got it down low. He played at the front of the 2-3 zone, causing some turnovers. In the first quarter, Jones collected five rebounds (three offensive). He only attempted one field goal but got to the foul line several times.
Keve Aluma deserves a shoutout for bringing the intensity in the second half, too, as he and Memphis center Freddie Gillespie were jostling all game and Aluma came up with some key plays in crunch time. Aluma has been one of the most impressive Summer Sixers so far, finishing this game with 15 points and four rebounds on 7-9 shooting.
Justin Edwards shows his stuff
Justin Edwards, who’s on a two-way contract, didn’t stand out in the 76ers' win over the Thunder but was much more aggressive in this one, looking for his shot and even banking in a three for a four-point play. The Philly native drained three triples as a spot-up option, which will likely be a main source of his offense going forward.
Edwards made some nice plays on defense, too, collecting two steals and a block in the first half. Although he was a bit foul-happy — he was still far from foul trouble, with 10 being the limit in Summer League — there were a lot of positives to take away from his performance. Perhaps this is an obvious adjustment that he and coaches pushed for in this game but he was way more aggressive than in his first outing, when he took just two shots (and missed both).
Not only did Edwards get his shots up but he flashed his shot creation with a dazzling bucket where he broke down the defense from the top of the key. He's someone who probably won’t be an initiator on offense but having nifty handles never hurts. His final stat line: 14 points, three rebounds, two blocks, two steals, 5-7 FG shooting.
The Sixers are leaving one of their two-way contract spots open for the time being and, this season, have clearly been interested in getting big, tough forwards who play hard and could be versatile defenders at the next level.
