BROOKLYN, NY — Two games into his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers, Jalen McDaniels is undefeated. Neither win was particularly good but still, the beginning of his time Sixers has been good for him and the team.

After watching from the bench as the Sixers beat the New York Knicks on Friday, he played 15 minutes in their win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. The young forward said that it “felt good” to play in a high-intensity game that went down to the very end. He said that his nerves subsided after getting the chance to be around and travel with the team more. “If I were to play yesterday, I would have had some nerves,” he said. “Today, I felt good…Felt regular today, honestly.”

In almost 16 minutes of action during the 101-98 victory, McDaniels scored five points, hit two of his four shots and collected five rebounds. He came off the bench but played two of the most important possessions of the game. Doc Rivers inserted him on their defensive lineup to preserve leads in the final seconds. McDaniels played on the inbounder both times, using his long arms to make passes in the direction of the hoop more difficult.

“Just building trust is all I'm trying to do,” McDaniels said of Rivers' decision to play him in those crucial spots. “He trusted me…I'm a defender. You can trust me and put me in those positions. So, I appreciate it.” Rivers said he didn't have any second thoughts about using someone brand new to the team in that spot. He simply wanted to get the best defensive alignment he could have gotten.

Jalen McDaniels' size, energy and athleticism made him an intriguing player for the Sixers ahead of the trade deadline. While he still has some work to do with his own game and fitting in with Philadelphia, his first game with the team leaves plenty of room to be excited about the pairing. McDaniels will make his home debut with the Sixers on Monday against the Houston Rockets.

“I'll be more prepared, knowing the plays and stuff like that,” McDaniels said when asked what he'll be looking to do ahead of Monday's game. “But other than that, I'm just gonna keep doing what I do — going out there, playing hard and making the right play.”