Sixers vs. Cavs: Who Raised Their Stock in Preseason Game 2?
The Philadelphia 76ers returned to South Philly on Wednesday night. After spending the last week on the road in Charleston, South Carolina, the Sixers made a pit stop in New York to face the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
The Sixers’ entire roster put on an impressive showing against the division rival, despite being shorthanded. After picking up a victory on the road, the Sixers returned home on Wednesday to host the Cleveland Cavaliers for their first home matchup of the preseason.
Unlike Monday’s game, the Sixers had all of their key players available. Therefore, James Harden, Joel Embiid, and PJ Tucker made their way into the starting lineup while Danuel House made his Sixers debut off the bench.
In a tight game that turned into a thriller all the way until the final seconds of the matchup, the Sixers came out strong with a one-point victory to move to 2-0 in the preseason. After another outing, let’s analyze which players boosted their stock on Wednesday night.
Sixers star Joel Embiid
Stock Up
Tobias Harris
The veteran forward tends to have quietly solid performances for the Sixers, as he’s often in the shadow of the team’s stars. Once again, Tobias Harris was consistently sharp from the field as he made all but one of his buckets for nine points in 16 minutes. Quick decisions and consistent buckets will keep Harris’ stock high.
PJ Tucker
Don’t let that box score fool you; PJ Tucker did what he needed to do to help the Sixers’ starting lineup compete with Cleveland’s talented bunch. Eventually, Tucker will need to have more of an offensive impact as attention will focus on the other starters, but making hustle plays and being a tough presence on both ends of the court is Tucker’s strong suit.
Joel Embiid
Unlike his backups, Joel Embiid didn’t look like he was out to prove something on Wednesday. Funny enough, he still made a significant impact on the floor when he was able to shake the rust off. He only appeared in 18 minutes of action, but it’s hard to assume Embiid won’t be in the MVP conversation once again if that’s what he looks like during a meaningless preseason game where he looked slightly disinterested.
Tyrese Maxey
The third-year guard’s stock is going to the moon this preseason. With another 20-plus point game in fewer than 20 minutes of play, Maxey looks like an All-Star in the making, even though he made it clear he’s not the least bit worried about garnering that accolade.
De’Anthony Melton
De’Anthony Melton trended downward on Monday as he struggled a lot from the field. His shot definitely isn’t where it needs to be right now, but it was slightly better. Mix that in with the fact that he’s now had two solid defensive showings, and you’ve got a guy who is making that offseason trade for Danny Green and a pick looking good so far.
Paul Reed
The backup center battle has been extremely interesting so far. Paul Reed picked up the backup center minutes behind Embiid on Wednesday but also played at the four when Montrezl Harrell took the court. As Reed continues to be a workhorse on the boards, making hustle plays, and even minimizing his fouling, he’s making it hard for the Sixers’ coaching staff not to utilize him this upcoming season.
Montrezl Harrell
The Sixers don’t win Wednesday’s game without Harrell’s dominance and intensity. Granted, he’s a seasoned veteran playing reserves late in a preseason game, but Harrell just worked with what he had. Aside from fouling out ridiculously early on Monday night, Harrell is off to a fantastic start with the 76ers this preseason.
Sixers All-Star James Harden
No Change
James Harden
Don’t read too much into what James Harden does or doesn’t do in the preseason. While he seemed to be getting to the basket quicker on Wednesday, Harden wasn’t drawing fouls or seeing a ton of successful shots. As a facilitator, he’ll be fine. But like Doc Rivers said, he wants a scoring Magic Johnson.
Georges Niang
The veteran sharpshooter’s stock grew on Monday after a rough playoff showing last season. Once again, Niang understood the assignment and chucked up five threes on Wednesday. It was a quiet night overall, but Niang is looking healthy, which is a good sign.
Shake Milton
The bar should be raised higher for Milton this offseason because we’ve seen what he can be. Milton’s had a decent preseason so far, but it’s hard to predict which Milton the Sixers will get this season so far through two games.
Danuel House
Making his preseason debut after dealing with a stiff neck on Monday, Danuel House checked in for ten minutes on Wednesday. The veteran did his job and knocked down the lone three-pointer he got off. With little playing time in just one game, it’s hard to judge House’s preseason performance thus far.
Sixers' Furkan Korkmaz
Stock Down
Julian Champagnie
On Monday, Champagnie boosted his stock as he had one of the better performances for the Sixers. Wednesday was a different story. Granted, Champagnie didn’t get a ton of playing time, as he barely checked in for five minutes, but during that time, he couldn’t register a single point.
Furkan Korkmaz
Did Furkan Korkmaz trick us all once again? After a stellar preseason debut on Monday, we wanted to see consistency out of Korkmaz, who talked a good game earlier this week. Unfortunately, Wednesday’s performance was a dud. Korkmaz shot just 25 percent from the field for four points. He launched up five shots from beyond the arc, and none of the shots were successful.
Matisse Thybulle
The offensive development of Matisse Thybulle was a feel-good story in the offseason. Through two preseason games, the narrative is already back to what it was before. Thybulle is having a hard time creating an impact on offense. He missed all three shots from beyond the arc, one of which hit the side of the backboard. Hopefully, the early struggles don’t affect Thybulle’s shooting confidence, as he’s shown more of a willingness to get shots up, but things aren’t looking great for the fourth-year wing so far.
Charles Bassey & Isaiah Joe
Here are two guys that were on the team last year and are rumored to be battling for a roster spot this year that couldn’t see the court on Wednesday. Both players are in a tough spot because others in their position are thriving while they aren’t given minutes consistently. They’ll more than likely earn playing time in at least one of the two final games, if not both. However, it’s not looking good for these two young prospects right now.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
