Philadelphia 76ers escape Minnesota Timberwolves 92-90 as Jared McCain bounces back
In a Summer League game where both teams attempted 75 painful free throws, the Philadelphia 76ers edged out the Minnesota Timberwolves 92-90 after Judah Mintz drew a clutch charge from Rob Dillingham to seal their second win. The 76ers are now 2-1 in the Las Vegas Summer League.
As you can tell from the free throw numbers, this game was far from pretty, even for Summer League Standards. Here are my three biggest takeaways:
76ers’ Jared McCain redeems himself
After shooting an abysmal 3-16 from the field in last night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, 16th overall pick Jared McCain bounced back tonight with 21 points and 7 rebounds, on 5-16 shooting from the field and 2-8 perimeter shooting.
While McCain’s efficiency is still clearly a work in progress, the main takeaway from his performance is that he didn’t lose confidence after a rough shooting performance, something that could’ve easily happened to a rookie enduring such pressure like himself. Instead, the 76ers guard set the tone early, drilling a deep transition pull-up three in the face of Rob Dillingham.
McCain once again was used as Philadelphia’s secondary ball-handler, rather than working off the ball. He was involved in a lot of pick-and-rolls and while he did remain aggressive and draw contact off drives (9-9 from the foul line), he continued to force shots instead of scanning for any open teammates.
When the NBA season rolls around, McCain will face a lot less pressure as a lead creator and will be used as more of an off-ball weapon, which will cater to his skill-set much more and led to better efficiency.
Adem Bona continues to shine for 76ers
Perhaps Philadelphia’s most impressive rookie in the Summer League, Adem Bona strung together another strong performance consisting of 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 stocks (1 block and 1 steal), on 3-4 shooting from the field.
Bona continues to flash what a productive two-way big man he can become with impressive shot-altering/blocking, especially in one-on-one situations as well as a knack for knowing when to help on strong-side penetration. Bona got his in early offense where he filled up the stat sheet with quick dunks and displayed a soft touch at the rim.
The 41st overall pick will need to be more disciplined with the ball in his hands, especially in the restricted area with 5 turnovers. Bona also recorded 7 personal fouls, which will also be something that’ll need development early on in his NBA career.
Judah Mintz makes his 76ers two-way contract case
Throughout these Summer League games, the 76ers, with a two-way slot remaining, have found some hidden gems with Jeff Dowtin’s excellent campaign and the emergence of overseas forward Keve Aluma. UDFA, Syracuse guard Judah Mintz is the latest player to pop up on Philadelphia’s radar.
Mintz produced 9 points and 2 steals on 1-4 field shooting, but shot 7-8 from the charity stripe. The 76ers guard came off a strong outing against the Trail Blazers where he dropped 16 points on 5-7 shooting from the field.
The most intriguing part of Mintz’ game has been his versatile scoring as he’s shown an ability to get downhill in isolation using quick penetration as well as the capability to stop on a dime and knock down mid-range shots along with pesky defensive instincts.
The 76ers will battle the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBA TV.
Mandatory Credit: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
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