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Former Sixers Draft Pick Goes Viral Throwing Down Vicious Dunk

Isaiah Joe threw down a viral slam dunk on Wednesday.
Justin Grasso|
Mar 16, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) reacts after a
Mar 16, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) reacts after a | Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

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Philadelphia 76ers

A breakout season for Isaiah Joe continues, and the young veteran guard made plenty of noise on Wednesday night as he threw down a vicious dunk against the Houston Rockets.

Early on in the second quarter of the matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Rockets, Joe was out in transition in a two-on-one scenario.

Rather than passing the ball over to his teammate, Joe took it to the cup himself and the young veteran did not disappoint as he threw down a dunk with authority.

As expected, the Oklahoma City crowd erupted.

Joe, a former Philadelphia 76ers draft pick, certainly didn’t enter the NBA known as a high-flying guard who posterizes his opponents frequently.

Instead, Joe left Arkansas recognized as an undersized sharpshooter, who relies heavily on turning up the volume with his attempts from beyond the arc. While that remains a core piece to his game, Joe flashed some ridiculous hops and strength during the Thunder’s Wednesday night loss against the Rockets.

When Joe entered the NBA, he was an Arkansas sophomore, coming off of a 60-game stint in the NCAA. The league-wide expectation was that he would land in Philly, and the Sixers made good on their draft promise by selecting him 49th overall.

Joe’s time with the Sixers would last two years. In his rookie effort, he averaged just nine minutes on the court in 41 appearances. During his sophomore season, Joe saw a slight minutes increase in 55 games. Under former 76ers head coach Doc Rivers, Joe struggled to carve out a role for himself.

Ahead of his third season with the Sixers, Joe was waived after the preseason. He joined the OKC Thunder via free agency. Last year, Joe appeared in 73 games for the Thunder, and averaged ten points while hitting on 41 percent of his threes.

This year, Joe once again carved out a solid role as a reserve, coming off the bench for 67 games and averaging eight points while shooting 41 percent from deep.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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