Philadelphia 76ers: 5 standouts from Orlando scrimmages

4. Norvel Pelle

Across three scrimmages, no Sixer had a better performance relative to expectations than Norvel Pelle. In fact, there weren’t really any expectations for Pelle, who is currently situated as the third-string center behind Embiid and Horford.

Pelle was, however, a true standout, and his entertainment value already exceeds most players inside the bubble. The Sixers were treated to all the hallmarks of Pelle’s game — shot-blocking, rim-rocking excitation — without most of his weaker traits. This was some of the best basketball Pelle has played since arriving in Philadelphia.

He was far from perfect, but Pelle looked under control defensively in a way he hasn’t in the past. He totaled seven blocks across three games, and he managed to avoid foul trouble in the process. He did an excellent job of staying vertical, not gambling, and competently measuring up opponents at the rim.

In addition to his defensive exploits, Pelle was a solid contributor on offense as well. He made an effective pick-and-roll partner for Shake Milton and the like, he ran the floor hard in transition, and he even hit a spinning fade-away 3 in the first scrimmage. As a rim-runner who can get up and down the floor in a hurry, Pelle works exceedingly well in the Sixers’ more up-tempo lineup combinations.

Once the regular season begins, Pelle will go back to bench warming. And that’s fine. But he deserves a shoutout, and it’s clear Pelle can really play. He’s on contract through next season, and is much more of a third-string center than Amir Johnson or Greg Monroe ever were.