76ers Summer League Standouts to Watch During Training Camp

Typically, the closer an NBA team is to championship contention, the less it has to learn from summer league.

The Philadelphia 76ers, who just snagged the East's No. 1 seed with their highest winning percentage in two decades, headed to Las Vegas with a pretty specific checklist. See progress from the sophomores and encouragement from the rookies, and anything else is gravy.

It was mostly a success on all fronts, setting up fascinating training camps for three of the Sixers' summer standouts.

While rookies hope to show they belong in summer league, sophomores want to look out of place.

Tyrese Maxey did for all the right reasons before shutting it down after just two appearances. He seemed several levels above the rest of the players, scorching opposing defenses to the tune of 26.0 points per game on 50 percent shooting (91 percent from the line).

That could have been the springboard he needed to boost himself into a much bigger role in his second NBA season. Regardless what the Sixers get for Ben Simmons, they will undoubtedly still need more shot creation on the perimeter. That's where Maxey can make his mark, and there's a universe in which he ranks among Philly's top four or five players in minutes per contest next season.

But two fiery outings in Las Vegas can only do so much. He needs to look even more impressive at training camp to skyrocket up the perimeter pecking order.

Paul Reed didn't get much NBA floor time as a rookie—which freed him to earn the G League's MVP—but he could be on his way to earning a ton if his training camp looks anything like his summer league.

In Las Vegas, he was doing everything everywhere. Statistically, that meant compiling all of the following per-game averages in under 30 minutes: 17.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 steals, 2.2 blocks and 2.2 assists. He hit 55.6 percent of his field goals, 37.5 percent of his threes and 82.4 percent of his free throws.

His offense is a bit of a crapshoot, although he gets a lot more interesting if these brief flashes of shooting turn into something greater. But his defense is special. He can switch through all five positions and protect the paint, yet his best ability might be his rapid-fire hands, which cause all kinds of chaos for opposing ball-handlers and passers.

Reed needs to keep this going at training camp to earn consistent minutes for the Sixers, but that would be a fascinating twist if he gets it done. He can give Philly a different look if he works his way into regular playing time as a backup 4 and small-ball 5.

The Sixers knew they were playing the long game when they made 18-year-old Jaden Springer the 2021 draft's No. 28 pick.

This summer served as an early reminder of the need to practice patience. He's rough around virtually every edge on offense. He needs work as a finisher, shooter and table-setter, all evidenced by his 37.9/13.3/76.9 shooting slash and the small gap between his 13 assists and nine turnovers.

Saying that, he's already a relentless on-ball defender, and Philly could suddenly have a not insignificant need for that depending on what it gets in return for Simmons. That alone won't get Springer floor time as a rookie, but it puts him in the conversation.

Where he can turn those talks in his favor is by showing more at the offensive end in camp than he did during summer play. He flashed some playmaking and shot-making late in his Las Vegas run, and if he even hints at those being sustainable, the Sixers might want to give him a long look.