Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 17

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings:

Joel Embiid - 7
Ben Simmons - 3
JJ Redick - 3
Robert Covington - 1
Dario Saric - 1
T.J. McConnell - 1.

The Sixers organization pulled out all the stops to make Jimmy Butler’s home debut a marquee event. Allen Iverson rang the bell pre-game. Red Panda performed at halftime. Adam Silver stopped by the announcing booth to hiss and eat some mice thrown into his cage. In return, the team seized the moment, topping the Jazz, 113-107. On to the Bell Ringer candidates:

Jimmy Butler: 28 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals

The Sixers faithful in attendance chanted Jimmy Butler’s name at the beginning of the game and he almost immediately hit a three. They chanted his name at the end of the game, right after he put home the game-clinching bucket off a Ben Simmons sideline out-of-bounds feed. In between, Butler played as efficient a basketball game as you could hope for, shooting 12-15 from the field and scoring in a wide variety of ways. Cuts to the basket, drives to the hole, step-back jumpers, three-pointers off a dribble-handoff — Butler has more weapons in his arsenal than Batman does on his utility belt. He also showed a nice feel for finding his new teammates and played his usual brand of tenacious defense. This was exactly the type of performance Elton Brand had in mind when he pulled the trigger on a deal. Some shade at his old teammates, while propping up his new ones, bodes well for his current team chemistry.

Joel Embiid: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks

Embiid missed a fair amount of time this game due to foul trouble, but when he was out there, helped draw some fouls on his towering counterpart Rudy Gobert as well. JoJo was his usual impactful self on the defensive end, and came up with some big offensive possessions in crunch time. The hook shot near-three-point-play (he missed his only free throw of the game after that one), the game-tying three-pointer, clutch free throws in the closing minutes, Embiid was available and stepping up for his club when it needed him most.

Ben Simmons: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Last year’s Rookie of the Year was quiet again with Jimmy Butler aboard, and he had a few frustrating turnovers, but he made his presence known on the game’s biggest possession, scoring the go-ahead bucket on a decisive drive inside the final minute. Simmons had some creative passes in transition, and Brett Brown started to unlock Ben more as a screener with Butler handling the ball. I’d look for Simmons to find more of a role as these guys feel each other out better over time.

JJ Redick: 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Quieter night than usual of late for Redick, who was an efficient 5-9 from the field and 5-7 from the foul line. JJ had a steal and dish to Jimmy Butler for a slam in the fourth quarter that got the Wells Fargo Center rocking. He also kicked Ricky Rubio in the head while personally shooting a jumper, which is a remarkable sign of flexibility for a 34-year-old man. Perhaps most notably, Redick seemingly has a good rapport with Butler, routinely going over plays with him during quick breaks in the action. The chemistry with the entire new starting unit looks solid, and I’d look for even bigger and better things from them as they gel.