After their highest-profile game of Las Vegas Summer League — a resilient return performance from No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe in a win over the Washington Wizards — the Summer Sixers played their lowest-profile contest on Wednesday night.
The Summer Sixers faced the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center. Edgecombe was out, joining Mavericks No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. The absences did not stop there, as Justin Edwards and Adem Bona also sat out. All of the absences were merely rest games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
The natural focus, then, became Johni Broome, the Sixers’ No. 35 overall pick whose play has gradually improved over the course of the team’s stay in Las Vegas. Broome’s three-point shooting stood out more than ever before, and he posted another double-double to continue a surge of stellar play.
A batch of takeaways from Broome’s excellent outing and more from the Summer Sixers’ 90-82 victory over Dallas:
Johni Broome continues to find comfort
Early on in his first Summer League, the game predictably seemed a lot faster than Broome expected. He has found himself lately, with noticeably better results over the last few games. With Edgecombe, Edwards and Bona out, it was certifiably Broome’s time to shine on Wednesday night.
A handful of hours before the Summer Sixers played their first game in Las Vegas last week, Broome expressed confidence to PhillyVoice about the long-term viability of his three-point shot. Broome never shot well from beyond the arc at Auburn, but his volume increased significantly — often a more important indicator of eventual professional success.
“I have a lot of room to improve my jump shot,” Broome said. “But I think by me putting in the time and putting up the shots, that it will improve.”
On Tuesday night against the Wizards, Broome’s satisfaction with his excellent three-point shooting results in Las Vegas was balanced out by his frustration at a 2-for-6 line from beyond the arc that night.
“I’ve been shooting alright. I missed four threes today, so that was something I wasn’t happy with,” Broome said. “Probably should have made a couple more or made an extra pass, but I mean, I guess I’ve been shooting it pretty good, I guess okay. There’s still a lot of room for improvement, you know, as far as shot selection, the consistency of shooting and making it.”
Broome missed more threes on Wednesday, but that’s because his three-point volume was at an all-time high. It is abundantly clear that the Sixers are placing a massive emphasis on three-point volume for Broome, and he is clearly listening. As the primary source of offense for the Summer Sixers in this one, Broome’s early success from beyond the arc enabled him to have more success in the paint, where his craft in the post stands out.
MORE: Johni Broome has ‘proved people wrong all the way through’
Odds and ends
Some non-Broome notes from the Summer Sixers’ penultimate game:
• The Summer Sixers’ slew of absences generated more chances for players down the roster, too. Villanova product Mark Armstrong came off the bench and immediately made his presence felt, scoring 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first quarter alone:
Armstrong, 21, spent last season with the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League.
• Undrafted rookie Hunter Sallis — signed to a two-way contract by the Sixers quickly after the draft ended — is still struggling to find it as a scorer. Sallis, 22, was a high-volume scorer and shooter at Wake Forest. For the Summer Sixers, he has been unable to score with any sort of regularity, but has impressed as a passer and has been better than expected as a defender.
“Just making the right play. That’s something that they’ve been preaching all of Summer League,” Sallis said in Las Vegas on Monday. “…Just trying to go out there and made a read for either myself or others.”
MORE: VJ Edgecombe says he has ‘no fear at all.’ He proved it in Summer Sixers return
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Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice
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