Without V.J. Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, and Johni Broome, a golden opportunity presented itself to the Philadelphia 76ers’ two-way guard Hunter Sallis. After signing with them as an undrafted free agent, he’s struggled to find his footing in both the Utah and Las Vegas portions of the Summer League. In tonight's Summer League finale, he was no different as he finished with seven points on 2-6 shooting from the field in the 76ers’ 87-83 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Sallis has had an underwhelming summer
Philadelphia added Sallis with a belief in his upside as a guard who could contribute on both ends of the floor. But so far, we’ve seen nothing that has confirmed its good faith in the Wake Forest product. In his seven Summer League appearances, he only notched double-digit points once. While scoring isn't everything — especially in a setting such as this — Sallis didn't really showcase any other skills that popped off the screen.
Defensively, he held up fine with decent positioning and lateral movement, but there weren't any stretches where he locked down anyone. Offensively, his spot-up shooting was inconsistent, and he wasn't aggressive as a ball handler. Sallis was easily discouraged when met with aggressive point-of-attack defense, leading him to seldom create any separation or reset the offense with a pass back up top.
Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been all gravy for Edgecombe, Edwards, Bona, or Broome either. However, all four have displayed at least one skill where you can see how they can contribute in the NBA. Sallis simply didn't display that. Still, I’m not saying that Philadelphia should waive him as he could potentially show the potential it thought he had with the Delaware Blue Coats next season.
It may sadly be the end for Mintz in Philadelphia
However, it is unfortunate that the 76ers don't have another two-way slot to offer Judah Mintz. The Syracuse product has torn apart defenses all summer with his twitchy ball-handling and shot-making ability. He’s made the dullest of Summer League games a bit easier to digest. In six of his eight games, Mintz has finished with 10 or more points — including four performances where he poured in over 20 points.
I understand why Philadelphia is essentially prioritizing Sallis over him. His upside as a rookie has more long-term value than Mintz’ bucket-getting. Still, Mintz is a gifted scorer and potentially letting him walk out the door would be an unfortunate ending. Regardless, they're right to roll with the prospect they have between Sallis, Jabari Walker, and Dominick Barlow. However, if Mintz is still around come December and we’re having this same conversation, then that's a much different story.