July 21, 2017
The Sixers had a rough 2017 NBA summer league, but second-round pick Jonah Bolden showed some promising flashes. While Bolden’s three-point shooting (31.4 percent) in Utah and Vegas certainly didn’t set the world on fire, he looked confident out there.
And his defensive versatility made Bolden one of Kevin O’Connor’s “Draymond Green Summer League All-Stars” over at The Ringer:
Bolden’s greatest defensive skill, though, is his ability to switch screens. “I think defensive versatility is a strength of mine,” Bolden told The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks. “I want to become a player who can guard all five positions.” Bolden wasn’t lying. He defended a long list of perimeter players this summer, including Dejounte Murray, Jayson Tatum, Denzel Valentine, and Patrick McCaw.
Bolden will reportedly play in Israel this season, and that would give the Sixers a pretty intriguing draft-and-stash prospect.
1. Redick, Part One: During all of the rumors linking J.J. Redick and the Sixers, he had cameras following him. Interesting documentary on what NBA free agency is like for a player who is below the top tier.
2. Redick, Part Two: Redick also has a new podcast, and he discussed the free agency Process (sorry) in depth with Maverick Carter. Then, Bryan Colangelo gave you the Sixers’ point of view.
3. Movin’ on down: Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz’s Rookie of the Year odds went down during summer league.
4. More Cat Raising: The Sixers are not just in the basketball business, as they’re partnering with a bunch of start-up businesses based out of their practice facility.
5. Too much too soon? In some more lighthearted Sixers news, Joel Embiid thought he was the best defender in the NBA last year when he was on the court. He says a lot of crazy stuff, but this one isn’t too far off.
6. All Lebron, all the time: Even if it’s still a long shot, there are worse ways to spend a Friday than talking about the idea of LeBron James playing basketball in your hometown.
Blogtable: Who are the early top three candidates for Kia Rookie of the Year? NBA.com staff
Among the Sixers’ two possible ROY candidates, Markelle Fultz didn’t get a ton of love from the NBA.com writers. This is obviously a pretty loaded rookie class:
But this could be such a great season for rookies that we could go five names and still be leaving out legit candidates. The draft alone was good enough to get excited about the first-year class of 2017-18. And it also includes the guy who would have been the favorite entering last season, Simmons, before getting hurt.
One burning offseason question facing each NBA team: James Herbert, CBS Sports
Herbert wonders if the Sixers are ready to win now:
There is a growing expectation that the 76ers will make the playoffs, and that's not crazy based on their talent and the way their pieces fit together. After drafting Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall to go with Joel Embiid and their other pieces, you can't ask for two better vets than J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson on this roster. But the Sixers will still have to prove that they can live up to the hype. They look good to do it, but many young teams cannot.
The 30 Best NBA Throwback Jerseys Ever: Aaron Dodson, The Undefeated
For the Sixers, Dodson went with the ’96 Allen Iverson jersey, which I personally like better in white than red:
A rookie Allen Iverson with no cornrows, one tattoo and “SIXERS” on the chest of a bright red jersey — paired with his red and white Reebok Questions, of course — is nothing short of iconic. Take notes, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. This is where #TheProcess began.
Bad Knees and Big Dreams: Inside the NBA Last Chance League: Bonsu Thompson, Bleacher Report
The Sixers medical staff continues to take L’s, this time from Kwame Brown of all people:
He blames the premature end to his career on an injury he sustained as a 76er. “I had what’s called an avulsion fracture where the hamstring tears a piece of the bone away,” says Brown. “They were working me out every day, but they misdiagnosed me. They told me I had a mild hamstring injury. I was icing when I should’ve had surgery to pin it back.”
Sounds like a lawsuit. “Nah, you’re not going to win with big corporations like that,” Brown says.
And finally, here’s some Robert Covington love:
Top 25 players in on - off plus minus since 2001 (minimum 1,000 minutes) pic.twitter.com/NmKmvaOIJg
— Nate (@bbstats) July 20, 2017
(How to read Covington's inclusion: There's evidence he consistently helps team. How to not read this list: he's among the all-time greats).
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) July 20, 2017
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
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