Philadelphia 76ers: 9 Players who Stood out in Orlando Scrimmages
The NBA's scrimmage season is officially in the books. Over the last five or so days, the Philadelphia 76ers have participated in three exhibition matchups down in Orlando. Last Friday was the first time the Sixers played an actual game of basketball against another team since before the NBA's suspension, which occurred on March 11.
After participating in three meaningless matchups against Western Conference competitors, the Sixers came out of the scrimmage season with a record of 1-2, with a win over Memphis, and losses against the Thunder and the Mavericks.
Knowing those games won't count for anything, the final score doesn't mean much. It's more about how the players look after having so much time off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that those three scrimmage games are in the past, we can look at which players stood out in a positive way throughout the Orlando scrimmages.
Who Stood Out?
Tobias Harris
Let's just cut to the chase here -- Sixers' max forward Tobias Harris was arguably the best player on the floor for the Sixers through three games. It was a close race between him and Ben Simmons. Based on the game Harris put together on Tuesday night against the Mavs, though, I'd say he gets the edge.
Through three games, Harris averaged 17 PPG, which was the Sixers' team-high through that stint. Against the Grizzlies and the Mavs, Harris managed to notch a double-double. Throughout the 2019-2020 season, Harris was one of the most consistent players on the 76ers, but many questioned his ability to put the team on his back and take over when needed.
This past Tuesday, Harris dominated in the third quarter against Dallas, allowing the 76ers to come back and take the lead. It was a spectacular performance by the veteran forward, and there's really no bad takeaways from Harris' performance through three scrimmages down in Orlando.
Ben Simmons
The power forward position looks good on Ben Simmons, doesn't it? Heading into the three-game stint, the Sixers teased the idea that Simmons is unloading threes without hesitation. During the first game, he attempted two long-range shots and even drained one. Since that first game, Simmons didn't attempt another, but he still flashed his dominance as he almost notched a triple-double in the first two scrimmages.
Tuesday night's performance against Dallas was shaky at best for Simmons. However, Brett Brown didn't allow the third-year All-Star to redeem himself in the third quarter as he sat Simmons in the second half to avoid any injuries. Regardless of a weak showing in the third scrimmage, Simmons showed the Sixers just how much they missed him during the time he spent out with an injury back in February and March.
Shake Milton
Before the NBA's suspension, Shake Milton looked like an emerging star for the 76ers. In a matter of weeks, he went from being left out of the Sixers' rotation to becoming the team's starting point guard. So far, having Milton in the starting lineup is working out well for the Sixers.
He didn't do anything too spectacular to stand out, but his fearlessness to pull up and shoot from all over the floor will help the Sixers out tremendously. Plus, he shot a solid 44-percent from three and held his own on defense.
Al Horford
Don't let the haters see this. Al Horford might've been an awkward fit in the Sixers' starting lineup when playing alongside Joel Embiid, but don't let that experiment cloud your judgment about the former Boston Celtics big man. With one game off the bench and two games in the starting lineup, Horford looked refreshed.
His first performance was a quiet one, but the final two is where Horford really stood out. In the second game, the Sixers' big man knocked down 80-percent of his threes (yes, you read that right).
Like everybody else on the Sixers, Horford started slow in game three, but picked things up with a big second half as he totaled for 14 points, and drained 40-percent of his deep shots. As it turns out -- Horford's still got it. As long as he's not sharing the floor with Embiid full time and is feeling healthy, Al Horford looks like he can be a game-changer for the Sixers in the playoffs this year.
Matisse Thybulle
The rookie guard's performance in Orlando so far has matched the story of his rookie season. On offense, Thybulle isn't super productive. On defense, however, he's a terror for his opponents. I continue to say it, but Thybulle is the real deal on the defensive side of the ball. It's hard to tell how he performed by just reading the stat sheets, but the game film will say this kid can play defense exceptionally well and belongs on the court.
Glenn Robinson III
Unfortunately, Glenn Robinson III's time on the court was limited during the scrimmage season. After colliding with another player in the second quarter of the second game, Robinson missed a game and a half due to a hip pointer.
Before he went down, though, the former Warrior brought a nice spark off the bench averaging six points while shooting 83-percent from deep. It's unclear if Robinson's limited time was enough to keep him as a regular in the team's rotation, but for what it's worth, Brett Brown mentioned he was impressed with the veteran wing before his injury.
Alec Burks
Speaking of former Warriors, Alec Burks had himself a solid three-game stint off the Sixers' bench as well. Before the season's suspension this year, Burks didn't have much time to showcase what he can bring to the table as a backup guard. In Orlando, though, the Sixers got a three-game preview, and it was promising. While his three-point shooting wasn't all that great (just 31-percent from deep), Burks found other ways to score and averaged 11 PPG off the bench for the 76ers.
Norvel Pelle
The human block party. This season, Pelle went from a roster hopeful to a two-way player to eventually landing his first NBA contract. Now, he's Brett Brown's third option at center. I'm sure the 76ers are hoping they won't have to utilize Pelle much during the season's restart because that would mean Horford and Embiid failed to remain healthy. But If they have to go down that direction, at least Pelle put on a promising three-game performance accounting for nine rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Josh Richardson
If I'm honest, Josh Richardson's three-game performance was neutral. For me, it's hard to categorize him as a stud right now -- but he definitely wasn't a dud on the court. Offensively, Richardson didn't bring too much to the table as he averaged just seven points-per-game while shooting only 22-percent from deep.
Defensively, it's a different story. Richardson brings optimal intensity on the floor when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. And overall, Sixers head coach Brett Brown believes Richardson's performances get "swept under the rug" because of the stars surrounding him typically garner all of the attention. For now, we can say Richardson has been quietly decent -- but Philly is going to want more out of him when the games start counting for something -- that's for sure.
