September 02, 2024
Lucas Peltier/USA TODAY Sports
Can undrafted guard Judah Mintz earn a long-term stay in Philadelphia?
We have reached the beginning of another week, and will only do so three more times between now and Sixers Media Day on Sept. 30 — with the team's training camp beginning in The Bahamas the following day.
A rare piece of Sixers news this time of year was announced Sunday afternoon, as the team said it has signed undrafted rookie guard Judah Mintz to a contract following his impressive showing in NBA Summer League. A source told PhillyVoice that the contract is an Exhibit 10 deal. E10 contracts are non-guaranteed deals which can include a signing bonus should the player later report to that team's G League affiliate. Think of them as a hybrid of training camp and G League contracts. E10 deals can be converted to two-way contracts as well.
With that in mind, this week's 5 Sixers thoughts will focus on the five players currently slated to attend Sixers training camp without a standard NBA contract. Let's have a good week:
Dowtin signed a two-way deal with the Sixers last March, and about a month later had his deal converted to a standard contract for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Dowtin spent some time with Sixers head coach Nick Nurse in Toronto the year prior, and Nurse clearly has a lot of trust in the 6-foot-3 guard.
The Sixers will enter the season with an open standard roster spot, and if they are not forced to fill it with a specific type of player due to an injury, that vacancy could eventually be filled by Dowtin, who is entering 2024-25 on another two-way deal but possesses the requisite ability to be an NBA player.
Dowtin, 27, does not do anything that is earth-shattering, but he also does not really have any weaknesses. His best strength is probably his impressive frame for his position, but also has a herky-jerky style that relies on changes of pace to create advantages. He is a competent shooter and clearly knows how to run and organize an NBA offense. His familiarity with Nurse is a major plus.
If any of the players on this list end up helping the Sixers in NBA games in the upcoming season, Dowtin is the heavy favorite to be the guy. Expect him to be activated for many of the team's regular season games for the first few months of the season. If he plays well when given opportunities, nobody should be surprised if he receives a standard contract.
During the tenure of Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, the team has often been aggressive in pursuing the undrafted free agents with high pedigrees immediately after a draft concludes. That trend continued in June when the team signed Edwards, a former five-star recruit who was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, to a two-way contract after he had a disappointing season at Kentucky.
At 6-foot-6 and 209 pounds with long arms, Edwards boasts good size for a wing in today's NBA. The question, naturally, is if he can develop enough skill to stick around. Edwards shot reasonably well from beyond the arc and from the free throw line in his lone season with the Wildcats, but the volume was relatively low.
Edwards should see plenty of time with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, as it is hard to imagine him cracking a contender's rotation as an undrafted rookie. Some teams like the Sixers have trouble signing premium two-way contract candidates because it is more difficult for them to offer chances at NBA minutes in the short-term.
The fact that the Sixers could point to an example like Ricky Council IV — who entered last season in nearly the exact same position that Edwards will be in next month — may have helped them convince Edwards that this was the right opportunity for him.
Jones was the other player the Sixers quickly added on a two-way deal after the draft, and his statistical profile — more specifically, his massive leap between 2022-23 and 2023-24 — is fascinating. Jones spent two unremarkable years at DePaul, transferred to St. John's and enjoyed little success for one year, and then transferred to Memphis and was one of the best scorers in the nation.
In his first three collegiate seasons, Jones averaged 12.6 points per game (19.5 points per 40 minutes) on a brutal 48.7 true shooting percentage. In his year with the Tigers, though, he averaged 21.8 points per game (27.0 points per 40 minutes) on a pristine 59.2 true shooting percentage.
That sort of leap in both volume and efficiency at the same time is nearly unheard of, and it resulted in a First Team All-ACC selection for Jones.
If someone who the Sixers consider a priority two-way candidate becomes available and they must waive one of Edwards or Jones, the latter is probably more at risk of being let go. But clearly, the team was intrigued by his development last season.
It was reported in June that the Sixers were signing Fiedler, an unconventional big man out of Rice, to an E10 deal, but the team did not make it official until Saturday morning.
Despite being 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds, Fiedler is by nature a facilitator, not a scorer. He operates as the hub of an offense, often looking to enable teammates to take shots rather than taking them himself. Fiedler averaged just 6.3 field goal attempts per game in his final season at Rice, but did average 5.3 assists per game. It is certainly an unorthodox profile. Fiedler was with the Sixers for Summer League, but hardly saw any action.
From the Sixers' press release announcing the deal:
"During his final season with the Owls, Fiedler made NCAA Division I history as he became the first player to record 1,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists, 100 blocks, and 100 steals."
The Mintz signing was only surprising in that he seemed more than worthy of a two-way deal with an NBA team, even if it was not the Sixers. Surely, the Sixers were thrilled to bring him back with an eye towards sending him to Delaware, and he would be on the shortlist of two-way candidates should a spot become available.
Mintz came on very strong during the final games of Summer League, and what stood out most during that period was also what stood out during his two years with the Orange: his ability to get to the free throw line at will. Mintz averaged 8.3 free throw attempts per game as a Sophomore (9.7 attempts per 40 minutes), an absolutely gargantuan figure. He similarly induced contact around the rim frequently for the Summer Sixers.
While Mintz would be a more complete scorer if his range consistently extended to the three-point line (29.1 three-point percentage on 2.4 attempts per game in college), he is very comfortable in the mid-range area. That, in concert with his ability to get downhill and draw fouls, makes him an enticing offensive player. His assist-to-turnover numbers are a bit concerning as well.
There are some roadblocks in the way of Mintz becoming an NBA player, but oftentimes in the undrafted free agent pool, teams look for players with at least one quality skill. Mintz's foul-drawing is more than that, it could turn into an elite ability if he continues to fine-tune other facets of his game.
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