We could go anywhere with the Sixers at this point. We could complain that they scored 147 points last night and still didn’t cover, or bitch about the 2nd round of the playoffs, or step on and off the bandwagon platform like we’re doing a 1980s Jane Fonda workout.
For Tuesday morning, how about a shout out for Jalen McDaniels, who did the following in Indy:
It was a quality performance, and while he scored everything in the paint and around the rim, he did try two corner threes as well.
In going back through the shot log, I saw:
Say what you will about Matisse Thybulle, but he maxed out in Philly as a catch-and-shoot three point guy and a burgeoning slasher and cutter. McDaniels has shown a lot of the latter so far, but he’s just able to use his athleticism on the offensive end in ways that Matisse did not, especially in the middle of the floor. Thybulle wasn’t rim running or slipping screens to get to the basket. That was never really part of his offensive package, and the Sixers should try to keep exploring this with McDaniels ahead of the playoffs. You went and traded for him, so experiment right now, mix and match and work him into different lineups.
This is also worth noting:
Honestly had no clue Thybulle ever scored 20 for the Sixers, but according to the game logs, it was a December game during his rookie year, when he shot 5-8 from three against Toronto. He played 32 minutes off the bench that night.
But yeah, McDaniels just seems to have a more wide-ranging skill set on the offensive end. And his contributions on the glass were noticeable. Hopefully they can keep building with him.