Happy Monday! As we always do, let's kick off the week with 5 Sixers thoughts, today focused on a pair of former Sixers point guards reaching very different professional accomplishments with some other notes later on:
T.J. McConnell is NBA Finals-bound
T.J. McConnell entered 2015 Sixers training camp as the sixth-string point guard for a team that would eventually post a 10-72 season. McConnell earning a roster spot on that team felt miraculous in itself. Now, he is a 10-year NBA veteran and the backup point guard of an Indiana Pacers team that has staged a fantastic run to the NBA Finals. McConnell even went viral for taunting a slew of celebrity New York Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden:
TJ McConnell after the triple—right in front of celeb row 🥶
(via @Pacers) pic.twitter.com/2dOaPcmHeR— NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) May 30, 2025
In Game 1 on Thursday, McConnell will be on the floor as the full-fledged leader of Indiana's second unit, hoping to help keep the Pacers afloat when primary offensive engine Tyrese Haliburton gets his rest.
McConnell was not always the most significant on-court contributor during his Sixers tenure – though he certainly came through to save others on plenty of occasions – but he was unanimously beloved as a supportive teammate and presence in the locker room. By the time he left for Indiana, he had done all he could in Philadelphia.
"I felt like I went out and earned what I've gotten, and just put my head down and gone to work and let the chips fall," McConnell said in December when discussing reaching 10 years of NBA service time. "I'm just proud of where I'm at now and I think I've earned everything I've gotten."
There are not many players like McConnell who provide genuine value to a team on the floor with a particularly unique set of skills. McConnell is limited because he is small and not strong or explosive, but has genuinely found a way to maximize his potential as an NBA player. It is a remarkable story of player development and hard work.
Michael Carter-Williams victorious in boxing debut
What?
Apparently, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft who went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award for the Sixers has now started a career in boxing:
Michael Carter Williams dominates his opponent in New York City. #MCW #MichaelCarterWilliams pic.twitter.com/bniaPyJ6bX
— goforitradio (@goforitradiocom) May 30, 2025
Carter-Williams last appeared in the NBA in 2023, and has since been working in broadcasting. But now he is a boxer with a record of 1-0.
Whenever Carter-Williams is in the news, I cannot help but think of his legendary NBA debut:
Carter-Williams posting 22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and nine steals to beat the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in his first NBA game was completely absurd – even if it was as good as things ever got.
MORE: What does history of draft trades say about value of No. 3 pick?
Will any members of Sixers' 2024 rookie class play in NBA Summer League?
The headliner of the Sixers' Summer League roster will be the No. 3 overall pick – and even if they moved down the board, they would still end up drafting someone in the lottery whose performance would be of interest. But many incoming NBA sophomores partake in Summer League, too, and it is worth wondering if any members of the Sixers' strong trio of 2024 rookies will follow suit.
It has been a very long time since there was an update on Jared McCain's knee after a torn meniscus ended his promising rookie season, and it feels hard to imagine that he would be rushed back into live game action for exhibitions, particularly because of the proficiency he displayed at the NBA level.
For Adem Bona and Justin Edwards, however, it does not feel implausible that either player heads to Las Vegas for at least the start of Summer League. Neither player has something to prove against that level of competition, but the continued reps can never hurt.
Bona being an early second-round pick and the favorite to be the Sixers' backup center of the future might give him a higher stock price than Edwards at the moment. But Edwards arguably showed much more aptitude when it comes to handling the physical and mental responsibilities of playing in the NBA; his outstanding feel on both ends of the floor largely powered his successful campaign.
During the season, it was written here ad nauseam that Bona needed as many minutes as possible to iron out the kinks of his game. His tools are outstanding and his motor never stops, but there are things to work on. Even if Summer League minutes are not as instructive as NBA experience, there is not much downside to Bona taking a crack at it. If he completely dominates the competition, the Sixers can just shut him down.
SIXERS ROOKIE CLASS YEAR-IN-REVIEW
Jared McCain | Adem Bona | Justin Edwards
Other players who could head to Las Vegas
The only player currently in the organization who feels like a lock to play in Summer League is power forward Alex Reese, who inked a two-way contract with the team late last season that also covers 2025-26. Reese earned that deal with outstanding three-point shooting numbers in the G League, but when he ended up receiving consistent minutes with the Sixers in the final weeks of the season it was often his rebounding and toughness that stood out more than his shooting stroke.
One of the Sixers' other two-way players to end last season was Jalen Hood-Schifino, the former Lakers first-round pick who had a few flashes of tantalizing shot-making as a taller guard but failed to really stand out beyond those brief moments. But Hood-Schifino is eligible to sign another two-way deal ahead of next season, and perhaps the Sixers will keep him in the organization.I
If Hood-Schifino pursues an opportunity elsewhere, an intriguing candidate to replace him on a two-way deal next year could be Judah Mintz. It was surprising when Mintz went undrafted last year, and after he impressed quite a bit for the Summer Sixers it was equally surprising that no other team inked him to a two-way deal. Mintz had a strong rookie season with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, with his foul-drawing ability continuing to stand out.
Another option to monitor at No. 35 overall
Last week, I did quite a bit of research collecting key data points on all of the Sixers' later draft choices and undrafted free agent two-way signings under Daryl Morey. The goal was to identify what the team covets in under-the-radar prospects and apply those lessons to the 2025 class in hopes of finding some potential targets at No. 35 overall, the team's second-round pick.
There were seven players highlighted in the story, six who meet parts of the Sixers' mold and one who fits the entire bill. Upon scanning the class a few more times, there is a player I wish I had included, particularly because he comes with the sort of pre-college pedigree that the Sixers covet.
That player is Hunter Sallis, a former five-star recruit who struggled in two years at Gonzaga before transferring to Wake Forest and making the All-ACC team in each of his two seasons there. Sallis is a bit of confusing evaluation, as he shot 27.7 percent from beyond the arc last season on 4.8 attempts per game after knocking down 40.5 percent of his triples in the prior season on even higher volume. Sallis is on the older side for a prospect in a Sixers-specific lens, but he will be 22 years old for the vast majority of his rookie season.
MORE: Identifying Sixers' targets at No. 35 based on Morey's history
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