The Philadelphia 76ers made their 2025 Summer League debut in unceremonious fashion Thursday night. Not only was the team without their electric rookie VJ Edgecombe, but the remaining Summer Sixers were simply spanked by the San Antonio Spurs in their opening matchup.
It was a familiar story for the Sixers and brought back bitter memories of last season. Philadelphia struggles mightily on both ends while their top star sat out injured. They could not buy a bucket while the Spurs soundly dominated them both inside the paint and from range, shooting 56.5% from the floor and 51.4% from three.
With young, impressive prospects like Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant, it’s not surprising that the Spurs gave the Sixers issues throughout the game. However, it wasn’t the No. 2 pick who dominated Philadelphia, as he missed the game due to a lingering groin injury. Instead, it was former Sixer David Jones, now David Jones-Garcia, who had the revenge game of his young career, scoring a game-high 24 points and shooting 75% from the field.
Don’t remember David Jones? An undrafted rookie out of Memphis, the Sixers signed Jones to a two-way deal in June of last year. However, Jones’ time in Philadelphia didn’t last long, as he was waived so the team could sign Lester Quinones shortly before training camp.
Again, you may not remember this brief sage from last season, but rest assured, David Jones-Garcia does.
As for your Summer Sixers, there were no real standouts, but Adem Bona continued to look solid and display an ability as a defensive playmaker, despite the team’s ultimate struggles on that end.
Dominick Barlow, the team’s recent two-way signing, got the start alongside Bona after requesting to play with the Sixers’ Summer League Squad. In 14 minutes, he looked sound overall, pulling down five rebounds and scoring eight points, despite his limited action.
Justin Edward’s struggles continued. Perhaps more than any other player, he has felt the lack of a player-maker throughout the summer. While it should ultimately be little concern for the regular season, it would certainly be encouraging to see a bit more consistency from the second-year wing.
Rookie Johni Broome continued to prove he’s not only willing, but able to knock down shots from range, which is perhaps the most encouraging sight one could see from him this summer. While he continues to collect his fair share of rebounds, there’s still more he can do from a positioning standpoint to succeed even further.
The Sixers will next face sharpshooter Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, July 12. By then, the team should have an update on VJ Edgecombe’s health status, though it may be a bit bold to believe that he will be available for the game.
