Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 14

For a refresher on what constitutes a Bell Ringer, please reference the initial post.

Bell Ringer Season Standings: Joel Embiid - 6; Ben Simmons - 3; JJ Redick - 2; Robert Covington - 1; Dario Saric - 1.

In the wake of Jimmy Butler blockbuster trade, the Sixers had just nine players available for their 112-106 overtime loss in Memphis. A Bell Ringer must still be chosen:

T.J. McConnell: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

As Marc Zumoff said of T.J., “Out of mothballs and into your heart.” With a short bench, McConnell received big minutes and responded as he so often does: balling out. Who needs Jimmy Butler when you already have T.J. McConnell to take over games? T.J. scored 8 points in the fourth quarter and had a terrific, mid-air dish to Embiid in the closing minutes for an easy dunk. He used change of pace effectively to get to his spots on the court, shooting 7-8 from the field. McConnell also played his usual tenacious defense throughout the evening, including preventing Mike Conley from getting a good shot off in isolation on the last play of regulation.

Ben Simmons: 18 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 blocks

Simmons was outstanding early in the game as the Sixers built a double-digit lead, really playing aggressively to hunt for his own points. I haven’t seen Ben look better in half court sets, routinely beating people off the dribble to get all the way to the rim. He did struggle with turnovers (committing 6 giveaways), however, including a pair of costly ones in overtime. Kudos, though, for the additional work on the glass with the Sixers playing a smaller lineup the majority of the night.

Markelle Fultz: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks

The work on the defensive end continues to show promise, and Fultz had what I would consider his biggest dunk of the season. He also knocked down a jumper and was very in control on offense, shooting 7-9 from the field. On a night he played pretty well, it says a lot that Fultz still couldn’t see crunch time minutes with the skeleton crew the team had available. I don’t know where Fultz is going to fall in the pecking order once Jimmy Butler arrives on the scene, but it’s going to be pretty far down.

Furkan Korkmaz: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

There was a stretch in the first half where it looked like Summer League all over again and we would be remembering this as the Furkan game. Korkmaz went 3-7 from behind the arc, was active defensively, and had some pep in his step compared to his teammates who played heavy minutes in another overtime game the night before. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more Furkan in late fourth quarter and overtime, rather than Shamet who did not have his shot falling tonight.

JJ Redick: 20 points, 1 assist

It wasn’t anything fancy from Redick in Memphis. He shot the ball efficiently (8-12 from the field, 3-6 from three), providing some much-needed offensive juice in a game Joel Embiid did not have his legs and there weren’t very many other options. Enjoy having your starting role back, JJ.