The Summer League Sixers: Who I Like and Who I Don't
A simple rating system.
Andrew Unterberger is a famous writer who invented the nickname 'Sauce Castillo' and writes for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez, as part of the 'If Not, Pick Will Convey As Two Second-Rounders' section of the site. You can follow Andrew on Twitter @AUGetoffmygold and can also read him at Billboard.
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There's a lot to like about Summer League -- the tantalizing glimpses of top prospects, the battles-within-battles between players making their case for roster spots and/or rotation minutes, the unexpectedly close and exciting games, the way it reconditions you to accept nauseating, soul-squeezing losses as the natural state of sports fandom after a not-even-that-long-but-at-least-mildly-relaxing offseason of not thinking about the fucking Sixers. It's must-see TV, even when your team somehow does not have a single new draft pick to debut — and when you’re not relying on these dudes to ultimately stock 2/3 of the big-league club as we did for much of the 2010s, it’s a pretty chill hang.
But my favorite thing is probably the snap judgments: You watch a player for five minutes and decide you already know everything you need to about their ultimate NBA fate. Actually trying to scout productively is fun I'm sure, but not as fun as seeing someone make a fun pass in their first minute of Salt Lake action and realizing you'll love them forever, or watching someone biff a simple dribble handoff and deciding you'd rather drink a Diet Mountain Dew milkshake than watch them play for even a second on your big league club. Is it fair? Is it respectful? Would John Hollinger approve? Of course not. But that's Utah, or Las Vegas, or whatever other cities they hold Summer League in that Imagine Dragons or The Killers could conceivably hail from.
How do I break down these Summer League Sixers through two games? So glad you asked.
Julien Champagnie: I don't like him.
Isaiah Joe: I like-like him.
Trevelin Queen: I like him. (Particularly getting to sing "HEYYYYY LITTLE TREVELIN QUEEN!!" whenever he does something well.)
Jaden Springer: I don't like him. Sorry.
Charlie Brown Jr.: I don't like him. (Mostly because I was positive he was going to miss that corner three in the last minute against Memphis; major Tobias Harris in Game Four against Toronto flashbacks.)
Justin Smith: Did he play? I probably wouldn't like him.
Charles Bassey: I like him. (But I could probably be talked into not liking him.)
Grant Riller: I like him.
Cassius Winston: I like him. (Real Ish Smith vibes.)
Malik Ellison: I like him. (But it might just be the hair.)
Tyler Bey: I don't like him.
Filip Petrusev: He's sitting out Utah? I don't like him. Real Sixers play in Utah.
Myles Powell: I don't like him.
Aminu Mohammed: I don't like him. (Though I vaguely remember him doing something cool against Memphis; remind me what it was and maybe I'll flip my position here.)
Michael Foster: I like him.
Paul Reed: C'mon.
Fred Sims Jr.: Is he related to Henry? Either way I probably like him.
Tyler Lashbrook: I like him!
Likeable team. Excited for BBall Paul to make Chet Holmgren (or whatever lanky OKC seven-plus-footer plays in his stead) eat his own lunch money tonight.