PREVIEW: 2019 76ers Summer League
With free agency dominating the majority of the summer, it is often overlooked that there are some gems found in the summer league. The Sixers finally have a healthy roster that they can look forward to, but the attention is being brought towards the biggest free agency in recent memory.
The Sixers’ schedule for the opening round of the summer league is as follows:
Friday, July 5, 3:30 p.m. ET vs. Milwaukee (ESPN2)
Saturday, July 6, 5:30 p.m. ET vs. Boston (ESPN)
Monday, July 8, 3:00 p.m. ET vs. Oklahoma City (ESPNU)
Wednesday, July 10, 3:00 ET vs. Detroit (NBA TV)
This year will be interesting because it will feature a team who can play stellar defense when looking at summer league rosters. The starters as of now would consist of Shake Milton, Zhaire Smith, Matisse Thybulle, Marial Shayok, and Christ Koumadje. Another player to keep an eye on is Terry Harris, younger brother of Sixers’ star Tobias.
For fans that aren’t familiar with these names, we are going to break down these players, their skill sets, and expectations for post-summer league.
Shake Milton
Shake is a second-year player who played on the Sixers’ actual roster last season. He dominated throughout his G League tenure with the Blue Coats and for most of the season, was rostered on both the Sixers and Blue Coats. During his stint with the Blue Coats, Shake averaged 24.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. Those are impressive numbers for a rookie to be posting regardless of the league they are in. Shake is listed at 6’6 and can play anywhere from the point guard to the small forward. According to Elton Brand, Shake is extremely excited to showcase his skills in the upcoming summer league and at the end of it, I expect him to be a member of the Sixers’ official roster and to receive an NBA deal which is a step up from being a 2-way player.
Zhaire Smith
Zhaire is perhaps the most interesting player on this summer team. He was extremely unhealthy due to his allergic reaction which was one of the reasons he was out for such a long period of time last year. When Zhaire was on the floor with the Sixers, their defense improved immediately. Towards the end of the season when he got meaningless minutes in meaningless games, Zhaire showed he can shoot the 3, attack the rim, and be a force on the defensive end. Smith has huge expectations for this upcoming season and the coaching staff expects him to play a major role in the shooting guard rotation, potentially starting. Zhaire is still on his rookie deal, this being his second season in the NBA and may play a few games for the Blue Coats’ but I expect him to possibly enter the starting lineup towards the end of the year alongside Ben and Embiid.
Matisse Thybulle
Thybulle was the Sixers’ first-round draft pick in the 2019 NBA draft. For people that are not familiar with him, his defensive skill set is jaw-dropping. Thybulle was what the Sixers needed in the draft. He only stands at 6’5 but his wingspan seems to be never-ending. It will be interesting watching him pair up against other rookies so people can see what his defense is like on an NBA caliber player. This will be good for the team because from watching they can see how far he is in his development. Hopefully, Matisse gets some shots up in the summer league as well so we can see his shooting ability throughout a faster-paced game than he played in college. Thybulle can steal with ease and is great at attacking the rim. I expect him to make an impact on the defensive end for the Sixers throughout the season and slowly improve his offensive shot. When playoff time rolls around, you can expect to see him in possibly an 8 man rotation.
Marial Shayok
Shayok is another player acquired in the draft. In his final year at ISU, he exploded offensively compared to what he did in his previous years at Virginia where he improved his defensive skills. Shayok will be able to display his ability to score the basketball and play solid defense throughout the entire summer league. Elton knew what he was getting when drafting this player and this is the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his skills. He stands at 6’6 which is the perfect height for the shooting guard. I expect Marial to impress and play how he played in the NCAA tournament and Big 12 Tournament a few days before. Shayok will likely end up on the Sixers’ roster, but not get meaningful minutes until he develops his game in the G League on a 2-way contract that will be beneficial in the long run.
Christ Koumadje
Koumadje was a big factor in Florida State’s NCAA tournament run last season. He is 7’4 and 229 lbs. Koumadje was undrafted in this year’s draft, but the Sixers found an interest in him, so they brought him along for the summer league to display his talent. Koumadje is not a prolific scorer by any means, only averaging 6.6 points in 15 minutes but his on-court presence is what makes him interesting to watch. He left school with a .622 shooting percentage which ranked 3rd all-time at FSU. He is clearly efficient, and with that big body, he has the potential to be dominant on both the offensive and defensive end. As of now, Koumadje is a front runner to make the roster, but would probably be on a 2-way deal, spending most of his time developing his game in the G League. Throughout the season if Koumadje shows he has made improvements, he may get bench minutes throughout the regular season, but do not expect to see him when the playoffs roll around.
Terry Harris
The ability to shoot the 3 ball runs in the Harris family. Tobias’ younger brother Terry is coming off his final college season and logged an impressive 3pt% of .411%. None of Harris’ stats are eye-popping and to some, there is the belief he is on the roster to try to bring Tobias back. If so, it could possibly work in the Sixers favor to be able to pair the brothers together somehow within the organization. It will be interesting to see the offensive skill set Terry brings to the table at the next level and if he can develop into a consistent scorer. Only averaging 8.1 PPG in his final season at North Carolina A&T was not very impressive, but maybe the scouts saw something that the common eye missed. I expect Terry to remain with the organization throughout the season, but I doubt we will see him suit up in a Sixers uniform. Harris will probably spend the entire season in the G League, and signing him to the summer league is likely a stunt to bring his brother back.
My expectations for the summer league are a little bit higher this year than they were over the previous seasons. I fully expect Shake and Zhaire to come out and dominate for the majority of the games, and expect the team to be one of, if not the best team defensively. Some people do not see that the summer league is a great opportunity to sign players that other teams release that you see value in.
With the Blue Coats’ HC Connor Johnson running the same system as Brett Brown, expect these players to develop experience rather quickly. For what it’s worth, I expect this team to compete and potentially win the summer league championship, led by Zhaire and Shake.
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