He had an impressive third quarter, hitting a nice step-back three and scoring on a couple drives. He had some MONSTER plays towards the end of the fourth, sending Baylor Scheierman to the shadow realm and then nailing a step-back three.
Jones stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 23 points (9-of-15, 3-of-7 from three), eight rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals.
There was one play in the third where he crossed up a defender ... and himself, dribbling the ball out of bounds. Jones has a serious motor and sometimes plays out of control. That and Jones’ size seem like his weaknesses, but he plays hard and is awfully strong at 6-foot-4.
The Sixers still have a third two-way spot open and Judah Mintz feels like the right person for it (Editor’s note: the team will reportedly give that last two-way spot to Dowtin). He lived at the line Sunday: he went 0-for-3 in the first half but still had seven points after going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. In the second half, he worked well with big man Max Fiedler and routinely found his way to the rim.
Mintz finished with 18 points (4-of-9, 10-of-12 from the line), five assists and four steals. He also made the game-sealing shot over Jaelen House and hit him with the “too small” celly.
He creates on offense and is an absolute pest on defense. He should lead the Delaware Blue Coats’ offense this season.
While he doesn’t fall under the prospect category, I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out Jordan Tucker and his monster third quarter. He went 4-of-5 from deep in the frame and none of his makes even grazed the rim. He had 19 on the day, going 5-of-7 from three.
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
The Summer Sixers wrapped up their slate with a consolation game in Vegas, beating the Boston Celtics 103-98 Sunday night. The Sixers went 4-1 in Vegas and 1-2 in Salt Lake — not that the records are at all relevant.
What matters is how some of the team’s young prospects looked. With that, here are a few thoughts at the buzzer.
(Note: Ricky Council IV and Jeff Dowtin did not play Sunday. Jared McCain and Adem Bona did not play the second half)
McCain came out aggressive — as he’s done pretty much the entire summer despite his shooting struggles. He had a nice scoop and score and followed it up with a quick trigger three with the first couple minutes. He also got some on-ball reps with Dowtin sitting this game out and looked mighty comfortable.
He found Keve Aluma on a nice roll for a bucket and then hit a three off the dribble. He had more good flashes to start the second quarter, finding Bona on a lob and then nailing a three off movement.
The Sixers’ 2024 first-rounder finished with 15 points (5-of-12, 3-of-7 from three), four assists and zero turnovers. It was good to see him finish the summer on a high note.
McCain struggled with his shot all summer, but he had some excellent flashes with the ball in his hands. If you’re the Sixers you should be very encouraged by that. McCain has been a lights-out shooter at every level, but him getting to show off his on-ball skills was important.
Justin Edwards struggled to find his place early in the summer, but seemed to get better with each passing game. It makes sense that he probably had his best game in the finale.
Edwards was one of the top recruits in the country out of Imhotep, but often got lost in the shuffle at Kentucky. He’s flashed a little bit of what made him such an appealing prospect. At 6-foot-8, he continues to simply shoot over people
While his drives have been an adventure at times, he’s been excellent in transition. This drive and dunk was the highlight of his summer.
He had another nice play in the half-court, getting to a comfortable spot for a smooth midrange jumper. His last bucket was a strong finish in transition for an and-1. He finished with 13 points (6-of-12), four rebounds and no turnovers.
It’s been a pretty uneven summer for the Sixers’ other two-way player, David Jones. Like Edwards, Sunday was Jones’ best performance. He’s looked more comfortable driving — finishing at the rim, making threes off the dribble and setting up his teammates.
Sixers' rookie Jared McCain struggled from the field but got to show off his ball handling skill this summer.
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