Sixers Bell Ringer: Game 10

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

Bell Ringer Season Standings: Joel Embiid - 4; JJ Redick - 2; Ben Simmons - 2; Robert Covington - 1.

A poor second half made things much closer than anticipated, but the Sixers were still able to hold on to move to 6-4 on the season. Here are your Bell Ringer candidates:

Joel Embiid: 39 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

The first half of Saturday’s matinee provided a sneak peek of Joel Embiid’s eventual ceiling, and it is on par with the Sistine Chapel. Andre Drummond. Zaza Pachulia. Jon Leuer. One Detroit defender after another tried and failed to contain Embiid down around the basket, often resulting in fouling the Sixers center as a last act of desperation. Embiid was like Thanos, snapping his fingers to make half the Pistons’ big men vanish to the bench with foul trouble. He finished 15-17 from the foul line in the first half for 32 points, ending the game 18-23, the most free throw attempts for any NBA player in a game this season. Embiid struggled in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, when he went scoreless with three turnovers. Still, look at Embiid’s line compared to 8 points and 9 rebounds for Andre Drummond. Maybe time to expand and buy up some more units in Drummond’s head.

Ben Simmons: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals

It was a long time before Ben even attempted a shot in this game, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t impacting the game. He flashed some great passes to teammates, particularly early on to Embiid when JoJo was really cooking. Simmons also played some great defense, getting his hands on the ball time and time again, including one play where he pick-pocketed Ish Smith in the open court. Plus, Blake Griffin may have scored 38 points, but hey, that is less than 50, and he did turn it over 7 times. A 5-6 line at the charity stripe is always good to see from Simmons, as well.

Markelle Fultz: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

It wasn’t the strong offensive effort we saw from Fultz Thursday night (although a near-dunk on Drummond almost burned Sixers Twitter to the ground). Still, I continue to be encouraged by the defensive progress from the second-year guard. Fultz is doing a much better job fighting through screens, communicating with teammates on switches, and staying active overall on that end. This play to block Jose Calderon, and save the ball to jumpstart a transition three from Covington on the other end, is why talent evaluators believe the potential is there for an elite defender.

Landry Shamet: 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

In just 19 minutes of action, JJ Redick’s seatmate on plane rides provided a tremendous offensive spark off the bench. Shamet already has a great innate ability to settle himself and rise up on balance racing off a screen or a DHO. He also popped in for a three-point play on a mid-range jumper and flashed a great cut for a lay-up. Just a well-rounded offensive game from the rookie.