Sixers Bell Ringer: At least Jared McCain looks legit

Jared McCain led a trio of bench players, Caleb Martin got going, but it wasn’t nearly enough in a loss to the Lakers Friday.

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 2
Guerschon Yabusele – 2
Paul George – 1
Jared McCain – 1
Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

What can you even say anymore?

Without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers fought but couldn’t hang with a Lakers team that shot the lights out in a 116-106 loss Friday night. Philly falls to 1-7 as their miserable start to the season continues.

Los Angeles, a team that ranked 28th in the NBA in three-point percentage, couldn’t miss from deep early. The Lakers jumped out to a 23-10 lead and it looked like this one could be done early. To the Sixers’ credit they fought back led by the bench trio of Jared McCain, KJ Martin and Guerschon Yabusele. They were down six after one despite L.A. nailing six threes.

The Sixers actually took the lead at one point in the second behind some great ball movement, but an 8-0 run to close the quarter gave the Lakers an eight-point advantage at the half.

Then the third quarter happened.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis took over as L.A. won the frame 28-21. The Sixers’ offense grew stagnant and they seemed to miss all the decent looks they did generate. From there, the game was never really close. The Lakers finished 16-of-35 from three.

The good news is the West Coast trip is over and the Sixers welcome the Hornets to town Sunday. The bad news is Paul George will still be the only member of the team’s Big 3 that’s available. Let’s get to Bell Ringer.

Jared McCain: 18 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

If you read the site regularly, you know I’m high on McCain. He was the right pick at 16th overall. On Friday he outplayed the player many thought the Sixers should’ve selected instead. But the fact that he has a shot at his second Bell Ringer of the season already is not great.

With that said, he has the look of a legitimate rotation player at 20 years old. For a team that has little creation ability outside of George right now, McCain brought a little juice. His ability to make plays off the dribble as a rookie has been very encouraging.

On Friday, McCain did what he does best: shoot threes. He was 4-of-9 from deep and it appears he’s discovering his shooting stroke at the professional level. After missing the first six attempts of his career, McCain has now hit seven of his last 15 from three.

McCain is 6-foot-3 and not blessed with elite athleticism so the size and ability of a player like Davis is going to be difficult for him to contend with in the paint. McCain was just 2-of-8 from inside the arc. He is crafty around the rim, but his biggest adjustment appears to be that.

One of his assists was on an impressive drive where he found KJ Martin for a dunk.

Watching McCain while the team is missing most of its star power makes you interested to see what he looks like when the team is at full strength. He looks like a legitimate rotation player right now.

Caleb Martin: 13 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Martin’s shooting struggles over the first seven games of the season were worrisome. Players struggle — and Martin in particular can be streaky — but this was especially troubling. He came into the night shooting 20% from deep and failed to make multiple threes in a game.

That changed early on as he was able to get a shooter’s roll on his first attempt from deep in this one. He made 3-of-4 on the night.

Getting a couple to go early seemed to help the rest of Martin’s game. He had five assists, none prettier than this one to Kelly Oubre, Jr. where Rui Hachimura couldn’t get to him on a close out, putting the Lakers’ entire defense in scramble mode.

This was one of the Sixers’ best offensive possessions of the season and shows what they liked about Martin in free agency. He has a diverse skillset and reads the floor well.

Overall, this was easily the best Martin has looked as Sixer offensively — though he still appeared to pass up a couple decent looks from three. Still, something solid to build on.

Guerschon Yabusele: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Small sample size warning, but coming into the game, the Sixers had a -18.03 net rating with Andre Drummond on the floor. With Guerschon Yabusele, their net rating was -4.23, per PBP Stats. That trend continued Friday. Drummond was a -19 while Yabusele was a +5.

We can start a backup center debate, but more than anything it looks like Yabusele is a guy you have to find minutes for. He’s a high IQ and high motor player that’s built like a tank. When he entered the game with the second unit, the team really upped the pace.

It wasn’t on LeBron this time, but this was a fun, athletic dunk by the man they call Dancing Bear.

One of the bigger questions about Yabusele coming into the season is whether he would space the floor well enough. After going 3-of-4 from three against the Lakers, he’s now 14-of-33 (42.4%) on the season. That’ll play.

Regardless of the position he plays and the matchup on the other side, Nick Nurse needs to find a way to get this guy minutes.

KJ Martin: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

For a guy that was basically re-signed to be traded, KJ Martin has looked like a useful basketball player.

His energy and athleticism were huge assets against a big and athletic Lakers team. Those attributes were obviously there last season, but there’s a comfort level this year that simply wasn’t there before. Martin looks like he’s where he’s supposed to be on both ends of the floor.

In a game that trends positionless more and more, Martin fits that mold. He has the height and athleticism of a wing, but has the strength and play style of a combo big. Nothing wrong with players that have a unique skillset as long you know how to use them. Nurse seems to be finding his spots with Martin.

This block exemplifies what Martin has been doing this season. He makes a great rotation, challenges straight up without fouling, and Dalton Knecht just bounces off him onto the floor.