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The Philadelphia 76ers slate of Summer League continued with a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sixers' final contest of their Salt Lake City exhibition games was a fascinating one.
The Sixers got their record in the SLC round robin to 1-1 after defeating the Utah Jazz yesterday. The Thunder roster includes Rookie of the Year finalist Jalen Williams and 2022 second overall pick Chet Holmgren, though both players were given this game off along with Jaylin Williams. With the chance to secure a winning record, the Sixers were dead on arrival but came back to life and nearly pulled off a crazy comeback, losing by a score of 100-91.
Here are five takeaways from the Sixers' pummeling at the hands of the Thunder.
5. Rico Hines takes the head coaching role
Nurse stepped away from coaching the summer Sixers to let one of his new assistant coaches take the reigns. Rico Hines, who was also on Nurse's staff with the Toronto Raptors, got the nod to be Philly's head coach for tonight’s game and will also hold the post in Las Vegas, per team reporter Lauren Rosen.
The Sixers, unsurprisingly, did a lot of what they were already doing under Nurse: using the high pick-and-roll to open up the offense and pressuring the ball high on defense while playing some zone here and there. Even with the same script, Philly just looked totally out of sorts to start the game, with their amount of turnovers doubling their assists.
Philly got flamed in transition and could not get much going in the halfcourt. Missed open shots and back-breaking turnovers added up and allowed the OKC to build up a 31-point lead. But they fought back to cut the deficit down to five by getting to the line frequently and holding the Thunder offense in check. Traps in the backcourt and 11 fourth-quarter points from Jordan Tucker fueled the comeback effort. Terquavion Smith shooting 5-10 from deep over the course of the game gave Philly some much-needed offense.
Perhaps some of the Sixers struggles were the result of playing a back-to-back against a Thunder team playing guys with fresher legs. Regardless, they played hard for the whole game and Hines put them in spots to succeed.
4. The odds are against Azuolas Tubelis earning a roster spot
After missing the Sixers' first game and playing just 13 minutes yesterday, Tubelis was moved into the starting lineup alongside Filip Petrusev but again only played 13 minutes. He did a good job in the high-low looks with Petrusev a few times and knows how to fight for position near the hoop. It will take a lot more where that came from to prove he should make the final roster, though.
Tubelis dominated at Arizona but is the type of college star that doesn’t stick around in the NBA: he's a slow-footed big man (— and is an undersized center to boot — who isn’t other-worldly in areas that would cover up his deficiencies. There is some reason to believe that he can grow into a decent shooter/playmaker but the SLC Summer League gave us little indication of what he can really do against NBA prospects. Especially with the Sixers signing Mo Bamba, keeping another center may not be the route they go if Tubelis doesn’t really impress.
One of the three guys to reportedly agree to a two-way deal with the Sixers on draft night (though the signing has yet to be officially announced), Tubelis will be worth watching in Vegas.
3. Ricky Council IV works through his weaknesses
Council, one of the darlings of this summer Sixers squad because of his amazing bounce, got more on-ball reps in this one. His need for growth in that area was on full display as was one of the main culprits in the turnover party, coughing it up four times. But getting him those reps is good. It's precisely what teams should do with the players they (seemingly) hope to incorporate into their rotations.
Despite patience and a solid sense for passing, Council is not shifty enough with the ball to break down the defense. He committed three turnovers in the first half and struggled mightily to get a good look at the rim. There were some good moments. including an and-one layup where he almost floated in mid-air and a 4-5 shooting line from the charity stripe.
In the first two games, Council made it clear that he can be dangerous off the ball. Now, the Sixers are testing him on how well he can do with more control. He failed the test this time but the fact that they even had him take speaks, at least a little bit, to their belief in him.
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2. Zhaire Smith gets a slice of revenge
One of the many bizarre/tragic stories over the years for the Sixers featured one of the Thunder's current Summer League players. Smith was the player involved in the infamous Mikal Bridges trade, where Philly traded the Villanova standout for Smith and a first-round draft pick. A standout rookie for Texas Tech armed with intriguing athleticism, Smith would play just 13 games over two seasons for Philly as his career was derailed by an allergic reaction that nearly killed him.
Hardcore Sixers fans have hoped that Smith, who has failed to catch on with another NBA team, would make a comeback. That hasn’t happened yet. But him playing with OKC in the summer — and having a strong stretch in this game — is a start.
In the first quarter, Smith scored five straight points on a hard drive to the rim and then on a corner triple. He also effortlessly threw down two open dunks. By the time he had racked up 11 points, the Sixers only had 17. He finished the game with 16 points on 6-6 shooting.
Zhaire Smith sighting!
Zhaire turns the corner and adjusts at the rim to finish the lay pic.twitter.com/yuYKmfMD5D
— Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) July 6, 2023
While it remains to be seen if the Thunder give him a bigger chance, the fact that Smith is even here at all made many Philly fans happy.
1. Jaden Springer sticks to what he knows
Springer led the Sixers with 17 points on 5-13 shooting against OKC. Poor shooting splits shouldn’t be excused but the most important parts of his performances are how he looks to attack the defense and how little his confidence wanes. For the second game in a row, Springer did a good job in both areas.
With other guys handling the rock, Springer focused on just getting downhill more and more. He couldn’t hit any jumpers but once he got inside, the results were good. His lower-body strength and stocky frame make him a wrecking ball. Going to the rim, he has the dexterity to contort his shot and get up a layup. He can also finish above the rim. This game served as further evidence that his optimal role is as an undersized wing/big playing off of stars rather than running the offense himself.
Again, much of Springer's minutes will be determined by how well he can shoot the three. He didn’t inspire any confidence in Utah and Vegas may not be much better. And even in a good scoring performance, he committed seven turnovers with just two assists. There is reason to believe in Springer but caution must be exercised.
The Sixers will now be heading to Las Vegas for the NBA 2K24 Summer League tournament. Their first game is Saturday at 5:00 PM EST against the New York Knicks.
