The Philadelphia 76ers finished up a three-game Western Conference road trip on a sour note on Friday night. After falling to both the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sixers remained in LA, where they fell to the Lakers after struggling once again in the third quarter.
In the early going, Philadelphia struggled to defend the perimeter against LA, allowing the Lakers to knock down four threes in their first five shots. The Sixers came into the night as the second-worst team in terms of opponent 3P%, and that trend continued tonight as the team allowed the Lakers to shoot 45.7% from beyond the arc in this game. Philly’s defensive struggles were both inside and out, however, as the Lakers were able to shoot practically at will in the paint for the majority of the night.
The Sixers would see their third-quarter struggles continue once again, going nearly four minutes in one stretch without a basket. The fourth quarter brought a bit more of a push by Philadelphia, but in the end, it wasn’t enough, and the Sixers would continue their run at the bottom of the NBA Standings.
Philadelphia’s starters struggled, but the Sixers’ bench unit did well in spelling the starters in several opportunities, including Jared McCain, who led the team in scoring with 18 points to go along with
The Sixers drafted the right rookie
Since draft night, there has been much second-guessing around the decision made by the Philadelphia 76ers. It was not a question of Jared McCain’s talent, but rather selecting McCain over projected top 10 pick Dalton Knecht. Those discussions continued throughout the offseason, into the Summer League, the preseason, and even the beginning of the regular season.
Fans continued to debate the selection, as did certain media members. Yet, McCain simply continued to put in work through the noise, and a pulmonary contusion suffered in the preseason.
McCain came into the league with several legitimate orange flags. With his lack of elite, or even average, burst and a lack of strong ball handling, size, and athleticism, there were plenty of areas where one could legitimately nitpick. While he hasn’t completely quieted those questions, McCain has proven himself to a degree early this season.
McCain has become more and more willing and adept at working the ball into the paint and finishing with finesse.
One head-to-head game is not enough to make a definitive case; the body of work so far this season favors McCain, and he has the added benefit of Father Time on his side.
Up next for the Sixers
Philadelphia returns home for a Sunday night matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. Once again, without both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, it will be yet another uphill battle for the Sixers, but thankfully, one against a far easier opponent.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and you can catch the game live on NBC Sports Philadelphia, and you can listen live as always at 97.5 The Fanatic.
Tuesday can’t come soon enough.
