3 observations after Ricky Council IV catches fire, Sixers win summer opener

3 observations after Ricky Council IV catches fire, Sixers win summer opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Ricky Council IV flipped a switch and shot the Sixers to an entertaining win Monday night in their first summer league game of 2024.

Council recorded 29 points and eight rebounds to lead the Sixers to a 102-92 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City, Utah.

No. 16 overall selection Jared McCain and Jeff Dowtin Jr. tallied 15 points each.

Game 2 of the Sixers’ summer is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET vs. the Grizzlies. Here are observations on their win against OKC:

Bona brings it from the jump

Second-round draft pick Adem Bona was the first player to stand out.

The Sixers started with a crisply executed called play, running a double drag action and then flowing into a Bona-Council dribble handoff. Bona narrowly missed the subsequent slam attempt off Council’s lob, but that didn’t discourage him whatsoever. The UCLA product rolled hard and threw down a fearless dunk on the Sixers’ next trip.

He displayed his promise as a roller and powerful finisher again in the second quarter. Bona leaped high for a tricky, contested catch and then converted an and-one alley-oop courtesy of McCain.

He didn’t do much else of note on offense, which is fine. Bona’s currently a limited, keep-it-simple player offensively. And if part of that basic package is good screening, strong rolling, and the occasional highlight-reel hoop inside, the Sixers will be happy.

Defensively, Bona mostly hung around the paint as the back line of the Sixers’ zone. The team amped up its intensity on defense late in the first quarter. Rookie guard Judah Mintz was active at the top of the zone, R.J. Hampton intercepted a sideline out-of-bounds pass, and Bona shouted in celebration after sliding his feet well to cut off Keyontae Johnson’s baseline drive and force a turnover.

He played 24 energetic minutes and posted seven points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

McCain crafty, effective inside the arc

The Sixers missed their first seven long-range shots, coming up empty across the board…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-observations-ricky-council-iv-013426068.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-07-09 01:34:26

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