3 observations after Council, Aluma helped Sixers win their Las Vegas opener

3 observations after Council, Aluma helped Sixers win their Las Vegas opener originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia

With a clean slate in Las Vegas, the Sixers opened their second summer league of 2024 on a winning note.

After a 1-2 stay in Salt Lake Citythe Sixers picked up a 94-81 victory Saturday night over the Pistons.

Ricky Council IV led them with a 24-point, six-rebound output. Fifth overall pick Ron Holland II recorded 15 points and seven rebounds for Detroit.

The Sixers’ second game in Vegas will be Monday at 8:30 pm ET vs. the Trail Blazers. Here are his observations from Saturday’s win:

Helpful surrogates for McCain off-screen

The Sixers didn’t have the most encouraging start.

Council launched a three-pointer on the team’s first possession and made it out of the air. Jared McCain also fell short on his first three-point attempt and missed a contested layup early. Detroit jumped out to a 9-2 lead.

(18 points, eight assists, five rebounds) remained the Sixers’ primary playmaker, although McCain carried the ball forward a fair amount in the open court. He got on the board with a smart cross from left to right and a driving layup.

While he didn’t put up incredible numbers, McCain displayed good offensive instincts and transition skills during summer league. In the second quarter, he pushed the ball forward, used a drag screen and drained a pull-up three.

It will be intriguing to see what strides McCain can make this year as a motion shooter. The Sixers called a play after the timeout for him late in the second quarter, having the 20-year-old come off two low screens and catch a pass from Dowtin. McCain’s mid-range jumper was in and out, but reps navigating screens should absolutely be useful for him.

He is also clearly capable of operating off ball screens. McCain made one of the best plays of the night early in the third quarter when he ran a pick-and-roll with Adem Bona, quickly faked a pass and kept driving for a layup to the left.

McCain’s shots still aren’t falling like they usually do. He had 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and two steals.

Where Bona is offensively

Bona (eight points, seven rebounds, five blocks) scored his first points in Vegas on a put-back slam.

On the Sixers’ next possession, Bona made a solid pick to Dowtin followed by a “Gortat Screen” – sealing his man and at the same time making room for Dowtin’s driving bucket à la Marcin Gortat.

Refining his pick-and-roll game will be a big part of Bona’s offensive development. This kind of sequence where he reads the play as it unfolds will be an important aspect.

Bona has obvious room for improvement overall offensively. He had a tough comeback on Saturday when he drove from the left side of the court, turned back and didn’t throw a pass to anyone. His run down the floor was unable to avoid a Daniss Jenkins dunk.

Defensively, Bona was again willing to block everything he could and quite effectively. He had as many as 14 rejections in four summer league games.

Council and Aluma are fundamental in the fourth

As was the case in Salt Lake City, the Council was not shy about putting up three.

He had a bad night from long range, going 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, but the Board regularly cut into the paint and tried to create fouls. He was 9 for 9 from the free throw line.

Against any competition, the draw seems to be one of the main skills of Council’s game. For an NBA player whose minutes probably won’t be huge on most nights next season, it’s a great way to contribute. And it also means that the board’s value depends a little less on whether your jumpers are falling.

Teams don’t like to see players wasting possessions looking for fouls, but it’s usually fair when the Board enters the lane and expects to hear a whistle. He often gets what he’s looking for.

The Council also threw in a few more dunks.

Keve Aluma continued to give the Sixers efficient and impressive production behind Bona. Sixers Summer League Head Coach Matt Brase opened the fourth quarter with Bona and Aluma together in the front court.

Aluma, 25, scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and eight rebounds. He closed the game and was excellent in the decisive moment.

Shortly after hitting a three, Aluma pump faked and drove to the rim for a layup for one. Excellent work from a player who spent last season in South Korea.