I’m not going to sugarcoat it, the Philadelphia 76ers’ 91-90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies was a game strictly meant for basketball sickos. V.J. Edgecombe, Adem Bona, and Alex Reese were all ruled out shortly before tip-off, and once again, any anticipation for this matchup vanished. It wasn’t Justin Edwards, Johni Broome, or Hunter Sallis who stole the show. Rather, it was Judah Mintz whose Summer League tear can no longer be ignored.

He led all scorers with 26 points on 9-15 shooting from the field, three assists, and three steals. This marks Mintz’s second consecutive game with north of 21 points, but what’s most impressive is how he has taken charge of Philadelphia’s offense during Edgecombe’s absence. 

His twitchy dribbling has been a pleasure to watch as he’s found success scoring off the dribble and getting to the rim. Mintz has routinely torched single coverage and drawn contact with ease – recording two straight outings with at least six free throw attempts. While Mintz hasn’t been a lockdown defender, his motor has been encouraging and he’s often forced turnovers with his IQ on display. 

Currently, Reese, Sallis, and Jabari Walker occupy Philadelphia’s two-way contracts. However, at the rate Mintz is playing, it may be in the 76ers’ best interest to swap out Reese for him. They already have a two-way forward in Walker, so why not keep a quality self-creating guard like Mintz around? Not to mention, Reese hasn’t exactly impressed as he played in only one of Philadelphia’s three Summer League games due to achilles soreness.

Another player who tried to absorb the 76ers’ offensive burden was Johni Broome and the results were mixed at best. He posted eight points on 3-11 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. His positioning and motor off the glass were impressive, but that was about it. 

He struggled in spot-up shooting situations – shooting 0-5 from downtown. Broome was unable to take advantage of post position with questionable shot selection. To his credit, he made the right reads when utilized in dribble hand-offs and pick-and-rolls, but there was nothing that wowed you. Broome was also slow-footed on both ends of the floor.

Still, it’s not all bad. Justin Edwards had a bit of a resurgence with 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field and 3-6 shooting from deep. He had more opportunities off the catch and was much more decisive off the point-of-attack. Edwards also provided stellar one-on-one defense – displaying great lateral quickness and screen navigation. He even posted two steals to show for it.

Hunter Sallis also had a bounce-back game – producing 11 points on 4-9 shooting from the field. He was more aggressive as a multi-level scorer and capitalized on transition opportunities. It was nothing crazy, but redemption nonetheless. It’ll be interesting to see if he can build on this as Philadelphia travels to Las Vegas for the second leg of the Summer League.

The 76ers will face the San Antonio Spurs on July 10th at 11 p.m. EST – yes 11. You can catch the action on ESPN or NBC Sports Philadelphia. As Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported, Edgecombe is listed as day-to-day, so here’s hoping he and Dylan Harper face off.