The Philadelphia 76ers got a win in their first Las Vegas Summer League game, defeating the New York Knicks thanks to a huge game from Jaden Springer. They carried that energy into their matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, who boasted 12th overall pick Dereck Lively II.

Before tip-off in the desert, the Sixers introduced their new free agents at their practice facility in New Jersey. Patrick Beverley said that he will look to “impact winning” in Philly and hopes that James Harden takes back his trade request. Mo Bamba said that Joel Embiid recruited him and suggested that they could play in two-big lineups.

Across the country, Philly faced the Mavs without Springer, who is dealing with an ankle issue, though they did get Louis King back into the lineup as they lost by a score of 111-103 after losing a 15-point lead. Here are five takeaways from the Sixers' Summer League contest against the Mavs.

5. Another new summer head coach

Bobby Jackson, another one of Nick Nurse's new assistant coaches, took the reigns from Rico Hines as the head coach of the summer Sixers in this one. There is not any word yet on if he will stay in this position for the rest of the Summer League.

Just like when Hines took over for Nick Nurse in Salt Lake City, the summer Sixers still played mostly the same. They shot a bunch of threes, looked to get out in transition and used most of the same defensive tactics. One key difference was that the guards did not always pressure the ball handlers as far up as they did in the past few games.

The Sixers blew a 15-point lead in the second half as Jaden Hardy cooked and Taze Moore made big plays off the ball. Philly’s off-ball defense was weak and while Terquavion Smith and D.J. Steward put on impressive scoring displays, they also made brutal mistakes down the stretch.

The summer Sixers were a bit undisciplined on the boards in this one, as the Mavs got a ton of offensive rebounds, though that’s wholly not the fault of Jackson. The team didn’t do a great job at boxing out and without the ball-hawking Springer, Filip Petrusev and Azuolas Tubelis' inability to match up athletically with some of Dallas' bigs stood out more.

4. D.J. Steward gets buckets

Amidst all the hype around Springer, Smith and Ricky Council IV, there’s another, guard that has put on a show throughout the Summer League. Steward — who followed Jackson to Philly after spending time with him with the G League's Stockton Kings, Sacramento's affiliate team — has been huge for the summer Sixers in both locations.

Steward scored nine straight points during a run near the end of the third quarter. He totaled a team-high 24 points while shooting 8-16 from the field, 3-5 from deep and 5-6 from the free-throw line. He came into this game averaging 11.5 points this summer. Like Smith, Steward is a skinny guard with unrelenting aggression with the ball in his hands. He can attack the bucket and shoot it from deep while getting after it on the ball defensively.

3. Run, Sixers, run

The Sixers crushed it in the fast break. Guys like Smith and Javonte Smart did a good job of breaking down the defense in the halfcourt, as well, as Philly built a lead by cashing in on fastbreak buckets. It was made more impressive by the fact that Springer, who excels in the fast break as an aggressive finisher and heads-up playmaker, was out.

Philly got into the fast break with tough perimeter defense, turning deflections into points on the opposite end. Smith slammed down a dunk after getting a steal while Petrusev, playing at the level of the screen, poked the ball away and scored through a foul on Lively. Their attempts dried up and became less potent as the game went on, though, leading to a fourth quarter where they were outscored 37-14.

The actual Sixers are not expected to be even close to playing at a breakneck pace for most of the game. But the summer squad is proving to have a lot of players who can manufacture easy looks, giving them an outside shot at catching the eye of Daryl Morey, who watched from the stands.

2. Louis King is close to being NBA ready

King ended last season on a two-way contract and took place in a workout where the Eastern Conference-champion Miami Heat were in attendance. The Sixers should heavily consider keeping King, maybe even signing him to be on the end of their bench if they struggle to land a more experienced wing in free agency.

In his minimal action in the Summer League (due partly to injury), King has looked very good. He reads the game easily and does a lot for the Sixers, all in a 6-foot-7ish body with a wingspan seven feet long. His defensive versatility is intriguing and while he isn’t going to run an offense, he can serve connective purposes with his comfort in handling the rock and moving it around.

A lot unlocked for King with his jumper going. He shot from 3-6 three, including a 30-footer that hit nothing but twine, though he failed to get anything going as the game went on. He tallied three steals and two blocks as well.

1. Terquavion Smith remains a bundle of excitement

Smith simply knows how to impact the game. It’s a beat that Sixers fans will not get tired of this summer. The undrafted guard showed he could score and lately has been piecing together impressive all-around performances, showcasing the type of impact it will take to stick around in the NBA. He had 18 points, six assists and six rebounds in the loss.

Twice, he followed up a miss with an offensive rebound. He fled to the corner to nail a triple and went for a put-back dunk but was fouled. In the pick-and-roll, he pressed the defense and flicked a pass to the roll man when the window presented itself. He also got the ball to Tubelis for a layup with a slack wrap-around pass. In traffic, he finished off the glass despite his body nearly being parallel to the floor.

Even when he sometimes makes mistakes — like missing a wide-open King on the wing — he helps the team by just manufacturing a bucket. There were some moments where he lost control of the ball and tried to do too much, leading to five turnovers. Those growing pains don’t make him any less confident, though — a surefire sign that he can compete with anyone.

Since the Sixers are keeping their options open as possible this offseason, Smith may likely start the season on a two-way deal. Giving him one of the last two 15-man roster spots and signing someone like Smart, King or Steward to a two-way ensure that they keep a little more of their young talent but I wouldn’t expect it. Should he get a roster spot, he also has veterans to try to leap on the depth chart.

Regardless, Smith is becoming a fan favorite at a meteoric pace. He could also become a solid bench option for the Sixers if given the chance.

The Sixers' next Summer League game is on Thursday at 3:30 PM EST against the Atlanta Hawks and Kobe Bufkin, the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.