The Kork was popped in the Philadelphia 76ers first summer league game. But as the bubbles settle back down with game two’s 96-79 loss to the L.A. Lakers, expectations come back down to earth as well.
The second summer league for the Philadelphia 76ers was an underwhelming one to watch. Trailing for most of the way, the game was not competitive. The Sixers shot 38 percent from the field and 10 percent from three, which is not a winning combination in any league.
The L.A. Lakers out played the SIxers in almost every facet, as Josh Hart proved that he may be to good for the summer league. If this wasn’t a summer league game fans would’ve been worried about the lack of cohesive play and effort displayed. However, this is in fact a summer league game, so who cares that they lost! The real question is, how did the Sixer’s notable young prospects do?
What this all means
Summer League games are not the time to freak out over the final score. And also, since so little games have been played yet, it’s not quite the time to freak out over how good/bad the players are playing. The game versus the Lakers is a good indicator of what summer league games should be about: evaluating the young prospects. NOT winning.
Yeah the Sixers lost badly last night. But when Furkan Kormaz is your #1 option, you’re going to have to live with that result. Don’t expect this summer league team to dominate anyone.
To put things into perspective, Denzel Valentine was once the Las Vegas Summer League MVP. To go along with that, the Lakers won the Summer League Championship last year, and then went on to have a losing season.
Next: Sixers going all-in on their young core
So yes, Jonah Bolden was horrific, and yes, Korkmaz went from ‘wouldn’t trade him straight-up for Kawhi’ to a bust. And yes, the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, but its SUMMER LEAGUE. Look for improvements from the young Sixers players themselves in the next game. But don’t, however, necessarily look for a win.