Observations from Sixers’ Summer League finale against Bulls
The Philadelphia 76ers faced off with the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night in Las Vegas Summer League action. It was the Sixers’ final game of the summer circuit. The Sixers had some good moments on the offensive side of the ball, but they committed 21 turnovers and gave Chicago enough looks at the basket to score an average of 30 points per quarter in what was nearly a record-setting 119-104 defeat.
Charlie Brown Jr. scored 21 points on 10 field goal attempts and 7 free throws. He also registered 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
Grant Riller supplied 19 points on 10 field goal attempts and 6 free throws off the bench.
Here are some observations form the Sixers’ loss.
Julian Champagnie
The St. John’s product mostly failed to stand out in Summer League play. But, Champagne showed signs of life with a couple of threes in the first half against Chicago. One came off as he peeled away from a ball screen. The other came off the catch from the top of the key. Champagnie has desirable size on the wings, but a very underwhelming Summer League display is not promising for his prospects of catching NBA action in 2022-23.
Trevelin Queen
The free agent signee on a partially guaranteed deal certainly isn’t bashful. If he senses a missed rotation on a ball screen or a modified drop in pick-and-roll coverage, Queen is letting it fly from deep. He struggled with efficiency on a healthy diet of shots throughout Summer League, but found his range in the final handful of contests.
Filip Petrusev
Petrusev mostly sticks outside as a jump-shooting big or operates as a playmaker out of high actions when guards or wings reject the pick and cut backdoor. He made some nice passes in Las Vegas, especially in Saturday’s loss to the Bulls. But, his lack of strength is quite jarring. If he’s going to touch an NBA court, Petrusev must add enough strength to play through contact.
Mike Foster
The undrafted free agent signee is one of the noteworthy standouts of the summer circuit. Once Foster found his footing, he quickly became one of the more versatile players on the roster. Most impressive is his IQ for the game. Against the Bulls, he showcased the intelligence to back a smaller defender down in the post and get to the basket instead of fading for a baseline jumper over his other shoulder. He showed promising signs of thinking the game through at a high level, and his aggression and decision bred effective play when he was on the court for Philadelphia.
Grant Riller
Riller has a mind for scoring, and doesn’t let his undersized body prevent him from attacking the rim. There’s an element of smoothness and fluidity to his offensive game that is quite hard to pinpoint. The inclination is to point to the fact that his dribble moves and changes of direction are timed perfectly. No sooner does a defender lift to cut his driving angle than does Riller counter with a hesitation move and an inside-out dribble to glide around the roadblock and coast to the rim.
