Blue Coats impressed with Sixers rookie Isaiah Joe finding open looks
The Philadelphia 76ers sent rookie Isaiah Joe down to the G League with their affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, in order to make sure he gets the necessary playing time to develop. The Sixers wanted to have him in the rotation, but then he was just not getting the playing time with the team so off to Orlando he went.
He had himself a really big night on Monday when he went for 28 points on 7-for-15 from deep to help the Blue Coats win a playoff game. The Sixers selected him in the second round out of Arkansas in order to have him fire up a bunch of 3-pointers and he did just that on Monday.
“Making 3-point shots is one thing, getting yourself open ones is another,” said Blue Coats coach Connor Johnson. “That to me is what I’ve been most impressed with about him. He shoots it very fast, he’s got a great feel for where to be in terms of feeling behind, and playing through space so I think it’s one thing to make them.”
His 15 attempts from deep are a welcomed sight. That means he did not just rely on his teammates either. He was able to find his own open looks. That is a skill and an ability to get open looks from deep that will be helpful for the Sixers in the future in order to space the floor for the offense.
“If you make one a game, it’s not much,” Johnson added. “For him to get 15 pretty good looks and make seven of them, I think’s impressive and that stands out to me right away.”
Up with the Sixers, the team had veterans like Furkan Korkmaz and Seth Curry ahead of him in the rotation so it was tough for him to get playing time in that situation. He had to be able to find his time in the G League to be able to play.
“Definitely been good to get up and down, get some runs in, and now it’s close to playoff time,” said Joe. “The competition has been heightened a little bit. So definitely good to play during these times. It’s definitely a good thing to be here in this bubble. They got everything laid out for us all we got to do is worry about hooping.”
Johnson continues to get instruction from Sixers coach Doc Rivers so Joe will be able to run everything in Delaware as it would be in Philadelphia. That is an important factor in a lot of this. He has to continue to be able to grow and develop under these circumstances.
“He clearly knows how to play,” Johnson added of Joe’s defensive work. “I think he’s a smart player. He obviously fits well in the Sixers system which is the same sort of stuff we’re doing here. He knows where to play, he’s got active hands, he communicates through everything, and so I’ve been very impressed with his basketball IQ and a general sense of movement on both ends.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
