Getty Sixers forwards Paul Reed and Paul Millsap defend Daniel Theis of the Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia 76ers boarded a flight bound for Utah where they’ll begin play in the Salt Lake City Summer League on July 5. The team officially released its full 17-man roster, highlighted by back-to-back G League MVPs Trevelin Queen and Paul Reed.
The Sixers have a solid stable of young, potential playmakers surrounding them: Isaiah Joe, Grant Riller, Charles Bassey, Michael Foster, Charlie Brown, Filip Petrusev, Jaden Springer, Cassius Winston, among others. One of the most interesting names to watch is Julian Champagnie, the undrafted rookie out of St. John’s who inked a two-way contract with Philly after the draft.
Philadelphia will be in Salt Lake City until July 7, with their first game slated for July 5 at 7 p.m. against Memphis. Then, they will travel to Las Vegas for the NBA 2K23 Summer League (July 7-17), with the first contest scheduled for July 9 at 3:30 p.m. versus Toronto.
Champagnie led the Red Storm in scoring (19.8) and rebounds (7.4) during his stellar sophomore season while shooting 38% from deep. The 6-foot-8 forward was one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Award, given to the top small forward in the country. He twice earned All-Big East honors while displaying a “beautiful shooting stroke.”
Here is a scouting report from The Athletic’s John Hollinger:
Champagnie profiles as a 3-and-D guy who can provide some juice as a secondary rim protector and disruptor. On the ball he likes to get into dribblers, even smaller ones, and used his length and anticipation to nab 3.1 steals per 100 possessions. That was slightly juiced by St. John’s use of pressing defenses, yes, but he’ll pressure the ball even against smaller players and is capable of blocking his own man’s shot. Sometimes that gets him beat — good crossovers leave him grasping for air — but I think he’ll be able to stay with NBA wings.
St. John’s junior Julian Champagnie is one of the most lethal scorers in college ball 🪣
Champagnie leads the Big East in scoring and dropped 25 on G’Town today. @JulianChampagn2
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Reed Makes Good on Vertical Leap Goal
Reed was trying to be tight-lipped about his offseason goals, but he let one slip out when asked at Sixers exit interviews. The 6-foot-8 big man wanted to add 10-15 inches to his vertical leap. And he’s well on his way toward that goal after revealing he’s up from 28 inches to 34 inches.
“I don’t want to give you too much information,” Reed told reporters. “One goal is I want to add like 10 inches to my vertical, 10 or 15 inches, so when you see me, next year jumping out of the gym you’ll know why.”
Reed averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game while setting a career-high in appearances (38). He logged quality minutes in the postseason despite his penchant for getting into foul trouble. Reed is one of the guys expected to fight for the backup center spot at training camp.
Sixers Still ‘Monitoring’ Trade for Eric Gordon
There was a lot of buzz about the Sixers pulling the trigger on a trade for Eric Gordon on draft night. They didn’t do it, although several reports indicated that Daryl Morey tried. And he’s still “monitoring” the Gordon situation in Houston, according to Jason Dumas.
Darryl Morey is a creature of habit. He’s wanted PJ TucKer in a Sixers uniform for years and will try to do so again this off-season. Eric Gordon is another player he’s monitoring.
James Harden opting out creates some cap flexibility. But they are still looking to create more.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst provided an update on the Sixers’ pursuit of Gordon on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (via Yahoo! Sports). Gordon is still in play, but there is no guarnatee the Rockets move him. They appear to be holding out for a first-round pick, something the Sixers don’t own for the foreseeable future.
“They’ve been trying to make Eric Gordon happen too, but they haven’t quite been able to pull that deal off yet. We’ll see if that comes through,” Windhorst said.
ICYMI. Suns and Sixers expressing trade interest in available Rockets veteran Eric Gordon. t.co/HT1Ko1z0gm
