Young Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Joe has continued to take many strides forward in his second season. It is just preseason, but he has been turning heads in the first three games of the exhibition schedule after he had a strong training camp.
Joe kept his strong play going as he had 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and he knocked down five of his seven attempts from deep in a 115-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. He also had three assists and two steals as he showed off an ability to play on both ends of the floor and help the Sixers get a win.
“Isaiah is someone that I really think he has a chance,” said Joel Embiid. “You got someone that can handle the ball, can shoot the ball, can defend, I think he’s gonna be in the league for a long time. He’s gonna be really good so that’s something I’m excited about.”
At this point, Joe has done a lot to show coach Doc Rivers that he deserves a spot in the rotation. The fact that he gets a lot of from Joel Embiid as well will help him move forward as a player and earn more time in that respect.
“I appreciate it, Jo,” said Joe. “It feels good. I think the position that I’m in, it’s about going into the game, being consistent, do what I do best, show that I can play both ends of the ball, and if I continue down this road, hopefully, it will lead me to success and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
A big aspect of his game that he continues to show off that he did on Monday is an ability to put the ball on the floor. He has recognized that as a shooter, he has a lot of defenders flying out to him which has forced him to add that to his game.
“Just massive, honestly,” said Rivers. “I always say it’s the guy who’s doing the work. You can get him in the gym and try to teach him it, but when he got here, he was either a shoot the ball or move it. Don’t put the ball on the floor. He’s comfortable. He played point guard for most of the night, half the night.”
On top of that, Joe has been putting in work on the defensive end. There were a few times where he was matched up with Nets star James Harden and he certainly held his own in that respect. It is tough to really get up on The Beard and really bother him, but Joe did a respectable job there.
“Isaiah, I’ll tell you, the other side of the ball is where he’s really good as well, defensively,” Rivers added. “That was when he got here. Muss (Arkansas coach Eric Musselman) did a great job with him. He’s a kid that’s really coming on.”
Joe will have another preseason game to prove he belongs in the rotation on Friday against the Detroit Pistons on the road.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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