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The 2021 NBA Summer League came and went. This year, the event was interesting. While it included tons of rookies from the 2021 NBA Draft, it also included all of the high-end picks from the 2020 NBA Draft as they were left without a Summer League to debut in last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, for the Sixers, they got to see Tyrese Maxey, Paul Reed, Isaiah Joe, Jaden Springer, and Filip Petrusev all make their Las Vegas debuts together. While they all had solid flashes of their own, Maxey and Reed undoubtedly stood out the most throughout the five-game schedule, which netted the Summer Sixers a 3-2 record. 

The two soon-to-be second-year veterans stood out so much they've been considered "too good for Summer League" in the eyes of The Athletic's draft guru, Sam Vecenie. As Vecenie put together a "too good for Summer League" starting lineup and created a list of reserves to include, both Maxey and Reed were mentioned.

Despite playing just two games this summer, Maxey's involvement in the "too good for Summer League" starting lineup is far from shocking. Maxey helped lead the Sixers to two-straight victories through the first two games, kicking the mini-season off with a bang. During those two matchups, the former Kentucky guard led the entire Summer League in scoring.

Eventually, the Sixers saw enough and allowed Maxey to depart from Las Vegas so he could go back to his hometown and host a youth camp. While two games are just a small sample size, Maxey showed last year during the regular season that he has nothing to prove in Vegas.

"Maxey was the best scorer at summer league in his two games, a downhill guard who got wherever he wanted at all times. Any time he caught the ball with a defender looking to close out on him, he attacked that player’s front foot and got into the paint with ease.

"Anytime he was in ball-screen action, he tried to square his shoulders to the rim and get into a straight line attacking motion wherever he could. Because he has a terrific combination of shifty ballhandling, tremendous footwork after he picks the ball up and the strength to maintain contact balance, it was hard for any opposing defenders to do something against him. He was just comfortable getting to his spots with patience and simplicity in movement."

Paul Reed didn't crack the "too good for Summer League" starting lineup, but he was listed as a reserve. While Reed doesn't have the same regular-season experience as Maxey, his G League dominance, which led to an MVP nod last year, left many Summer League spectators unsurprised by his continued development.

"It’s clear that Reed is better than the summer league/G League level given his performances at each event. Can he translate that into NBA minutes next season and going forward? That’s the question, given just how unique and weird-looking his game is. I’m not a worshipper at the altar of B-Ball Paul like my colleague John Hollinger is, but I think I’m at the point where I’m buying him going forward as a legitimate NBA rotation player. 

I wouldn’t be surprised to see him give the Sixers more effective minutes than Andre Drummond next season given that he can also contribute on the defensive end in a way that Drummond just struggles."

At this point, Maxey is guaranteed to have a spot in the Sixers' regular-season rotation next year. While Doc Rivers didn't need to the young guard going off in the Summer League to know that he's worth issuing minutes to, his two-game stint just proved that not only is he really good -- but he's getting much better in areas he needed to improve following the 2020-2021 playoff run.

As for Reed, the question marks remain. As versatile as he is for a big man, it's still difficult to envision what his role could be. Will Reed battle with Georges Niang for minutes at power forward? Or give Andre Drummond a run for his money for some playing time behind Joel Embiid at center? Either way, Reed is constantly growing his game and making it difficult to overlook him at this point. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.