The Sixers’ Summer League squad has gone 4-3 across their seven games between the Utah and Vegas Summer Leagues. The incumbent Ricky Council IV and 2024 draft selections Jared McCain and Adem Bona all showed promising flashes of what they will eventually bring to the Sixers’ main roster.
What’s even more intriguing is that each of their individual skill sets should fit in very nicely with a team bereft of players like them.
Ricky Council IV
Ricky Council IV showed real potential in a limited role last year with the Sixers’ main roster. His athleticism and knack for drawing fouls at the rim were apparent, but without a consistent jump shot, he was not able to maintain minutes on the court.
Coming into his second Summer League, I was looking for him to dominate in stretches and show off his improved jumper- he did both. His shot still has a long way to go, but what is nice for Council is that on the 2024-25 Sixers, his minutes will not be as reliant on his ability to make shots. He should be empowered to do what he does well while gradually bringing the shot along, and he will not be a detriment to the team because of it.
Council’s silky smooth athleticism allows him to get to spots on the floor that do not appear to be available. Knowing you are an elite athlete is one thing; using it to your advantage is another. Council is the most likely of the players on this list to have consistent rotation minutes, and he is going to oftentimes be the best pure athlete on the floor going up against other teams’ second units. The way he is able to slip through three defenders here and get an open layup cannot be taught.
Council was able to get a consistent whistle as a rookie without grifting for calls or chewing out the referees. Once he figures out how to bait foul calls just a little bit, he will be nearly impossible to keep off the free-throw line. He is the exact type of player who can mess up opposing teams’ typical rotations.
Council’s jump shot is still a work in progress, but it is clear that he has been working hard on it. There is still a bit of a hitch in his shooting motion, but he showed that he is comfortable firing both off the catch and off the dribble. And if he is going to have stretches where he gets as hot as he did in the fourth quarter against the Thunder, he is single-handedly going to swing basketball games in the Sixers’ favor.
Council can be an impactful defender if he really puts his mind to it. He seems to have a good feel for off-ball positioning and sneaky hands in the passing lanes. His athleticism will help him on that end of the floor as long as he is not overzealous.
Jared McCain
The Sixers selected Jared McCain with the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. What McCain lacks in size and athleticism, he makes up for in his shooting ability. He is billed as one of this draft’s premier marksmen.
Through seven Summer League games, McCain has shown a good feel for offensive rhythm and is more adept than expected as both a creator and initiator.
McCain is not a very fast guard and does not have a quick first step. He will have to rely on misdirection and changing speeds in order to beat his man, and he has put together a reliable bag of tricks.
McCain struggled to shoot the ball in both Utah and Vegas so far, but his form and release are fluid and repeatable, and when he did briefly get hot, you could see the potential. McCain knows to rise and fire when he has enough space. He plays to his strengths on offense while knowing his limitations and not allowing them to get him in trouble.
McCain is going to be a good movement shooter and a reliable outlet in transition.
This will translate to coming off of screens and DHOs with Joel Embiid. Players like Seth Curry, JJ Redick, and Marco Belinelli have feasted on similar shots created by Embiid. Could McCain fill the role the Sixers hoped Buddy Hield would fill for them last season?
His self-awareness is going to play a big role in how his offensive process develops. He is not the type of player to try to play hero ball in disadvantageous situations, knowing he does not have the size nor the athletic profile to overcome them. McCain will find quick passes on cuts and back out to the perimeter and has a nice pocket pass when running pick-and-roll.
The Sixers will have to find lineups to work around McCain’s defensive limitations. He will certainly put in the effort on that end of the floor, but given his lack of size and speed, he is going to struggle to keep quicker guards in front of him. McCain does keep his head up and eyes open in the passing lanes, though, using his IQ to make up for the physical disadvantages.
Adem Bona
The Sixers selected Adem Bona with the 41st pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Touted as the draft’s best energy and hustle player, Bona has certainly lived up to that through three games of Summer League play and has all the makings of a quintessential backup center.
Bona is going to serve a vital role on offense just with his athletic ability and motor. He is a solid screen setter, a graceful rim runner, and finishes at the rim with authority. He is not going to be cute with the basketball, either. The majority of his attempts are going to be thunderous slam dunks, defenders in his way or not. Here, Bona sets a hard screen, rescreens, glides to the basket, and throws it down.
Bona has the chance to really thrive on the offensive glass. His athleticism and overall want-to will guide him to loose balls, and if he is within range of the basket, he is going back up with it.
Bona is pretty smart when it comes to possession-by-possession intricacies. Bona screens efficiently slipping situationally and essentially picking the defender legally while on the run.
Adem Bona has all the tools to be an impactful defender in today’s NBA. He is comfortable defending out on the perimeter while still being agile enough to recover to the paint. He can switch knowing that his trial defense still needs to be accounted for if he gets beat—something that will also lend to him being a good transition defender. He can meet pick-and-rolls at the level and take up space in the drop.
Bona’s instincts and timing are particularly keen around the rim. And if he is going to make a habit of turning defense into offense, he is going to earn himself minutes on the main roster.
Bona will need to stay disciplined and know where and how not to be overaggressive. Learning from someone like Joel Embiid how to pick and choose spots on that end of the floor will certainly help. However, since he will only be playing limited minutes, maybe you should just let him wreak havoc out there.
