What's Stood Out to Doc Rivers About Jalen McDaniels So Far?

Focused on the progress of his team down the second-half stretch of the season, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers let the front office take care of potential acquisitions as the trade deadline approached.

The Sixers struck a deal before the market closed, engaging in a four-team trade. They sent out Matisse Thybulle and a draft pick to land multiple draft picks and the young veteran Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets.

Rivers knew a little bit about McDaniels upon his arrival based on the limited film he was able to review before the Sixers faced the New York Knicks last Friday. At the time, Rivers highlighted McDaniels athleticism and ability to guard multiple positions on the defensive end as some things that stood out.

Now that McDaniels has two games under his belt in a Sixers uniform, Rivers revealed a couple of other things that stood out to him about McDaniels following matchups against the Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets.

“Dribbling, his ability to attack closeouts under control and make plays, we didn’t know that,” Rivers said. “We did know about his corner three shooting, three or four days, not only just in games but watching him in workouts, he loves the corners. That’s another addition.”

In his first two matchups with the Sixers, McDaniels totaled 13 points, nine rebounds, and two assists. While he wasn’t a high-volume three-point shooter, he knocked down both of his threes, which came from the corner, as Rivers noted.

Offensively, it seems McDaniels has already proven he’s more versatile than Rivers might’ve expected. That might be the case on the other end of the floor as well.

“Defensively, he’s what we thought, maybe even better,” Rivers finished. “The other part that we knew, and you can see where it's going to pay a big dividend, is his ability to keep the ball alive on the glass and rebound. I knew he was fast. I didn't know he was this fast. He can fly.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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