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Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 14

Dario and RoCo: the Bell Ringers of our hearts.

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers at Memphis Grizzlies Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

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.

Poll

Who is your Jimmy Butler trade day Bell Ringer?

This poll is closed

  • 46%
    T.J. McConnell
    (346 votes)
  • 17%
    Ben Simmons
    (130 votes)
  • 22%
    Markelle Fultz
    (163 votes)
  • 8%
    Furkan Korkmaz
    (66 votes)
  • 4%
    JJ Redick
    (35 votes)
740 votes total Vote Now

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