Sixers Send Isaiah Joe on G League Assignment With Blue Coats
The Philadelphia 76ers have arranged plans for their second-round rookie Isaiah Joe to fly down to Orlando, Florida, to play with the Delaware Blue Coats.
Back in November, the Sixers brought Joe in from Arkansas as they selected the rookie sharpshooter with the 49th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Following draft night, Joe made it known that from his understanding, the Sixers didn't have any plans to assign him to a role in the G League.
And for a little while, that was the case. Although the Delaware Blue Coats' season started a couple of weeks ago, the Sixers kept Isaiah Joe on board with the main roster. And lately, he's garnered some minutes off the bench.
Before Saturday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Joe averaged roughly six minutes-per-game over the last nine matchups. Last week, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers even hinted at the possibility of keeping Joe in the main rotation coming off the bench and taking up some of Furkan Korkmaz's minutes.
But at this point, it seems the Sixers quickly changed their minds. On Saturday night, the Sixers took on the Cavaliers, and Joe didn't pick up a single second of playing time. On Sunday morning, the team announced they are officially assigning Joe to a role with the Blue Coats down in the G League bubble.
Although Joe looked solid with the Sixers in 20 games as he's averaged 4.3 points while shooting 38-percent from beyond-the-arc, it's clear the rookie guard could use some fine-tuning. While many might be disappointed that Joe won't be around for the Sixers for some time, garnering some playing time with the Blue Coats could be excellent for his development.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
