CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers made a move at the deadline to bring in Jalen McDaniels to add more versatility to their bench unit. The four-year man out of San Diego State had five points off the bench, and he made some big defensive plays in his playoff debut on Saturday.
It wasn’t the most perfect playoff debut. He made some defensive mistakes, such as leaving Seth Curry open for 3, but he was a very positive player in the Game 1 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
“He was great,” Rivers said of McDaniels. “I thought him and Melt (De’Anthony Melton), at times, you had to remind them that they were guarding the best player and they were over-helping and lost sight of their guys a couple times and got beat off the dribble because of that.”
McDaniels was able to knock down a 3-pointer and he was able to provide some strong play for Philadelphia with his ball-handling. He was able to run some pick-and-roll with the bench unit which makes things easier for that group on the offensive end of the floor.
“Other than that, Jalen is a factor because of his ability to handle the ball in the paint,” Rivers added. “He made a great play to Paul Reed, he made another one where he threw it out, and he can finish with his size. So he’s a big factor for us.”
The Sixers look for McDaniels to continue his strong play in Game 2 with the Nets on Monday.
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