The Sixers got 20-point outings from Dante Maddox and Isaac Johnson, alongside good outings for Labaron Philon and Johni Broome, to score a 101-93 win over the Pistons in Summer League.

Here’s what I saw.

Labaron Philon’s roller coaster debut

In the opening minutes of Philon’s Summer League introduction, Philadelphia’s first-round pick forced the Pistons into an early timeout almost by himself. He scored the Sixers’ first bucket with a beautiful stepback three, drew pressure into the lane to set up a Johni Broome catch-and-shoot three, and then capitalized on an offensive rebound for his second three of the night:

Philon didn’t spray the ball all over the floor as a passer, and there were certainly moments of tunnel vision, but I think his playmaking was better than expected in game one. There were very few possessions where he dribbled the air out of the ball, and he frequently moved the ball away from pressure, swinging it to open shooters and rolling bigs as Detroit began to send more pressure at him. Toward the end of the first half, Philon hit a beautiful lookaway pass to a rolling Broome, who did the rest of the work to slam it at the rim:

Becoming more of a setup man was a point of emphasis for Philon as a sophomore after hearing feedback from NBA teams at the combine, and his growth was on display in a big way here.

That said, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Philon predictably looked a bit small when he got near the basket, and though he made great strides as a finisher in year two at Bama, concerns about his frame and plan around the hoop showed up against Detroit. I was happy with how often he was able to put himself in and around the paint, but Pistons defenders closed space rapidly and forced him into tough shots at the cup. Real NBA spacing should make his life a little easier here, as will having some time to adjust to the increased speed of the game.

The second half was pretty rough for Philon in general, with Detroit playing more pressure defense and switching most ball screens to extend pressure up closer to halfcourt. A good shooting start devolved into a pretty rough outing, and I thought Philon started forcing up shots and chasing the game, most notably on a missed spinning layup attempt in transition.

It was a perfect example of why I think the Sixers went out and signed a guy like Anfernee Simons in free agency. When Philon was going early, he had the look of a guy who had the right to believe he was the best player on the floor and in total control of his pace and Philadelphia’s offense. The ball-handling that popped at Alabama looked no less impressive in Vegas, with Philon creating consistent separation with hesitation moves and silky smooth behind-the-back dribbling at the point of attack. But when it went bad, Philadelphia’s lead cratered and he lost sight of team offense in pursuit of one made shot to get himself going again.

On paper, this was a pretty disappointing outing after his excellent start. But if you view this as a space to work on flaws and get some reps in rather than direct proof of someone’s NBA future, I think this game was mostly fine, and he showed a great deal of composure to help put this away with scoring and playmaking in crunch time. Live and learn, rook.

A nice start for Johni Broome

Watching Johni Broome in this setting can be a bit of a roller coaster. His subpar athleticism leaves him stuck in the mud in far too many situations, even on possessions that appear to be in his wheelhouse. Broome had multiple turnovers posting up smaller players on the low block in the opening minutes, possessions that should be a source of easy offense for him in this setting.

But Broome responded incredibly well to a rough start, and also looks way more comfortable in the sort of plays that he needs to master to stick in the NBA. He was a useful partner to their guards in pick-and-rolls and a constant thorn in Detroit’s side on the glass, creating the bulk of his offense by winning the rebounding battle for second-chance opportunities. Even if I would like to see him show less hesitation on three-point opportunities, this was a really good outing for him after watching him struggle through this setting last summer.

Something I’ll be tracking throughout Summer League is exactly how the Sixers use Broome positionally, which should tell us a lot about what he’ll need to do to play NBA minutes. They tried him at both the four and five against Detroit, and it was a bit easier to get away with the latter with Isaac Johnson shooting the lights out, allowing him to live around the paint and do the dirty work that defined his college career.

Philadelphia is crying out for a dirty work guy who can impact the game as a rebounder, and this was about as good an outing as you can hope for from a player like that.

Other notes

— Isaac Johnson went on a heater in the second quarter, picking and popping his way to four consecutive made threes, much to the delight of the Vegas crowd and the Sixers’ bench. After Broome carried Philadelphia’s offense for the bulk of the second half, he hit the bench for a critical stretch of the fourth and watched Johnson cook, with the “Big Fish” cashing out a critical four-point play to extend Philly’s lead to double digits.

Becoming a stretch big option with some passing utility appears to be his path to a professional career. I am going to be pretty low on him relative to the crowd, it seems, because he runs like a giraffe on ice skates and I don’t trust that he can succeed in any defensive scheme other than organized prayer against the opponent. But if you’re this big and make threes, you’re going to get some looks to stick around. Let’s see what he’s got in game two.

Dante Maddox was the most interesting performer of “the other guys” for me, offering the Sixers a constant threat from deep on and off the ball. He appears to be a nice fit to work with Philon during these summer games, affording Philly a chance to move their rookie on and off the ball as necessary.