Sixers Bell Ringer: At least Jared McCain’s loss to the Lakers looks real

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

What else can you even say?

Without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers struggled but couldn’t keep up with a Lakers team that was eliminated with a 116-106 loss on 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 distance from the start. The Lakers took a 23-10 lead and it looked like that lead might be blown early. To their credit, the Sixers fought back under the leadership of bench trio Jared McCain, KJ Martin and Guerschon Yabusele. They trailed by six to one despite LA making six three-pointers.

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

Then came the third quarter.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis took the lead as LA won the frame 28-21. The Sixers’ offense was stagnant and it seemed like they were missing all the decent looks they were generating. From then on the game was never really close again. The Lakers went 16 of 35 from three games.

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

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

If you read the site regularly, you know I’m excited about McCain. With 16th place overall, he was the right choice. On Friday, he surpassed the player many thought the Sixers should have chosen instead. But the fact that he already has a chance at his second Bell Ringer of the season isn’t great.

Still, at 20 years old, he looks like a real rotation player. For a team that has little creative ability outside of George right now, McCain has brought some juice. His ability to make plays off the dribble as a rookie was very encouraging.

On Friday, McCain did what he does best: shoot three-pointers. He was 4 of 9 from deep and appears to be discovering his shooting style at the professional level. After missing the first six attempts of his career, McCain has now scored seven of his last 15 from three.

McCain is 6-foot-3 and isn’t blessed with elite athleticism, so it will be difficult for him to match the size and skill of a player like Davis on the floor. McCain was just 2 of 8 from inside the arc. He’s skilled in all areas, but that seems to be his biggest adjustment.

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

Watching McCain while the team is missing most of his star power makes you want 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 issues through the first seven games of the season were concerning. The players are finding it difficult – and Martin in particular can be patchy – but this was particularly worrying. He came into the night shooting 20% ​​from deep and failed to make multiple threes in a game.

That changed early on when he managed to score on his first attempt from deep. He made 3 of 4 that night.

Letting a couple go early seemed to be beneficial for the rest of Martin’s game. He had five assists, none more beautiful than this one to Kelly Oubre, Jr., where Rui Hachimura couldn’t reach him on a closeout, putting the entire Lakers defense in distress.

This was one of the Sixers’ best offensive players this season and shows what they liked in Martin in free agency. He has a wide range of skills and can read the floor well.

Overall, this was by far the best Martin has ever seen on offense as a Sixer – even if he still seemed to miss a few good looks from the 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 entering the game the Sixers had a net rating of -18.03 with Andre Drummond on the field. Guerschon Yabusele’s net rating was -4.23 according to PBP Stats. This trend continued on Friday. Drummond had a rating of -19 while Yabusele had a rating of +5.

We can start a debate about the backup center, but more than anything, it looks like Yabusele is a guy you need to find minutes for. He is a player with a high IQ and good motor skills who is built like a tank. When he came into the game with the second unit, the team really stepped on the gas.

This time it wasn’t about LeBron, but it was a fun, athletic dunk from the man they call Dancing Bear.

One of the bigger questions about Yabusele heading into the season is whether he would space the floor well enough. After going 3 of 4 from three games against the Lakers, he is now 14 of 33 (42.4%) this season. This will play.

Regardless of the position he plays and the matchup on the other side, Nick Nurse has 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 who was essentially re-signed to be traded, KJ Martin looked like a useful basketball player.

His energy and athleticism were a huge asset against a big and athletic Lakers team. These qualities were obviously present last season, but this year there is a level of comfort that simply wasn’t there before. Martin looks like he’s where he should be on both ends of the floor.

In a game increasingly characterized by positionlessness, Martin fits this mold. He has the size and athleticism of a winger, but has the strength and playing style of a combo big. There’s nothing wrong with players with unique abilities, as long as you know how to use them. Nurse seems to find his place with Martin.

This block illustrates what Martin has done this season. He makes a great turn, calls the ball straight up without fouling, and Dalton Knecht just bounces off it and onto the floor.