Tag: Terquavion Smith

Pacers’ Oscar Tshiebwe headlines 2023-24 G League All-Rookie Team

Tshiebwe was named the G League Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists with the Indiana Mad Ants.

Indiana Pacers center Oscar Tshiebwe and Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller were among the players named to the 2023-24 G League All-Rookie Team, which was released on Thursday.

Tshiebwe was named the G League Rookie of the Year on April 2 after averaging 15.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 57.3% shooting from the field in 34 games with the Indiana Mad Ants. He led the G League in rebounding and was second in double-doubles (28).

He was also named to the All-G League first team.

Miller was runner-up for G League Rookie of the Year, averaging 20.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.2 steals with the Ontario Clippers. He ranked fourth in total points (814) among first-year players and 24th in total rebounds (245).

Tshiebwe and Miller are joined by Chicago Bulls center Adama Sanogo, Philadelphia 76ers guard Terquavion Smith and Santa Cruz Warriors guard Kendric Davis, the only player not signed to a two-way contract. Sanogo was also named to the All-G League third team.

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Blue Coats coach Mike Longabardi comments on Ricky Council IV, Terquavion Smith

Delaware Blue Coats coach Mike Longabardi discusses the development of Philadelphia 76ers rookies Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith.

WILMINGTON, Del. — Philadelphia 76ers two-way rookies Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith are currently up with the team with the Sixers ravaged by injuries. Coach Nick Nurse can call upon them to produce at any moment.

With the Sixers having a rough night in Indiana to begin their 5-game road trip, Nurse gave Council IV and Smith their time to play in the fourth quarter. Council IV poured in 11 points while knocking down a triple and Smith had five assists with three steals and two points. The two rookies showed off their ability to produce and the Sixers know they have some terrific pieces for the future.

Mike Longabardi, the coach of Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, expressed his happiness for both Council IV and Smith as they move forward with their careers.

“We’re so happy for them,” Longabardi said on Friday after the Blue Coats defeated the Wisconsin Herd. “They’ve worked extremely hard. Both of them are big time. Like, love the game type guys, they’re hoopers, and to watch them get out there and play. We’re all just so, so happy for them.”

Both Council IV and Smith have been working hard since the summer. They played for the Sixers in both the Salt Lake City Summer League and the Las Vegas Summer League and they stayed with the team throughout this entire process.

Council IV is averaging 24.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in seven regular season games with the Blue Coats while Smith is averaging 22.3 points and 3.0 assists in Delaware. Longabardi has been impressed with their development.

“I just think experience, right?” said Longabardi. “They just like keep going, getting through it. They’ve been here since the summer, and they just continue to work. I just think now the pace and flow of the game, and I know—I send them a text message all the time, I said, ‘you guys belong’. They’re confident kids and they want to go out and they want to play so I’m really happy for them.”

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Sixers rookie Terquavion Smith using G League to learn for the future

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Terquavion Smith is using the G League as a learning experience to help shape his future.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Philadelphia 76ers undrafted rookie Terquavion Smith made his NBA debut in Philadelphia’s win over the Orlando Magic on Friday. He played the final 1:49 and pumped in six quick points by knocking down two deep triples.

Smith, a scoring guard out of North Carolina State, is averaging 22.3 points and shooting 40.8% from deep while taking 10.1 3-pointers per night in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats. He has been terrific as a scorer and clearly understands where he can get his points.

He uses the G League to learn and set himself up for the future.

“I’ll have to say just learning,” said Smith after his debut in Orlando. “Being a sponge to everything around me and all the resources that I have, so I feel like if I can do that, I’ll be good in my career.”

After the win in Orlando, Smith received a lot of praise for his performance. Coach Nick Nurse also called him something of an electric scorer. He is somebody who can get to the basket and get his points at a high level.

Smith can now grow with the fact that Nurse and his veteran teammates have his back and show their support to him.

“It means everything to me to have that confidence from the guys, my vets, and my coaches,” Smith finished. “It just motivates me and keeps me going. So it does mean a lot. It plays a big part in how I look at the game and want to play.”

The Sixers don’t have a spot for Smith in the rotation at the moment as they have bigger plans in mind, but if he continues to grow and takes the necessary steps forward, then Philadelphia could eventually open up a spot for him.

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Terquavion Smith reacts to making NBA debut after Sixers beat Magic

Rookie Terquavion Smith reacts to making his NBA debut after the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic.

ORLANDO, Fla. — As the Philadelphia 76ers were wrapping up a 124-109 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday to begin a two-game road trip, an opportunity arose for an undrafted rookie to fulfill his dream.

Terquavion Smith made his NBA debut, playing the final 1:49. He knocked down two triples for his first NBA points. It was a special moment for a young man who has worked so hard to get to this point.

“It’s a surreal moment,” said Smith after the win. “Something I’ve always dreamed of just being blessed to get the opportunity that means a lot. So, I would like to thank the Sixers organization for giving me the opportunity to do something that I always dreamed of doing. So I’m just very thankful at the end of the day.”

Smith received the game ball from a very special person: Joel Embiid.

“It means everything,” Smith added of getting the game ball from Embiid. “NBA MVP, so I mean, I’m blessed. It made me smile so it’s all I could ask for.”

When asked where he will put the ball, Smith isn’t sure, but he knows he will cherish this moment for the rest of his life.

“Anywhere!” he laughed. “I’ll probably dribble it. I’m probably gonna play with it for the rest of my life for real.”

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Jaden Springer, other Sixers youngsters catch the eye of Joel Embiid

Jaden Springer and the other young Philadelphia 76ers players have caught the eye of Joel Embiid.

CAMDEN, N.J. — While the Philadelphia 76ers work through the James Harden saga, other aspects of the team deserve attention as the 2023-24 season approaches.

The Sixers are looking for third-year guard Jaden Springer to make a big step forward. The No. 28 pick in the 2021 NBA draft has had terrific moments in the G League, but it is time to make his case to earn a rotation spot for new coach Nick Nurse.

Through the first three preseason games, Springer has shown off his defensive ability as well as his continued improvement on the offensive end. That ability to perform on both ends of the floor is something Joel Embiid pushed him to improve in.

“Jaden has gotten better,” Embiid said. “I’ve been on him since last year and really all summer about just messing with him about being a better shooter. He’s gotten so much better. You can tell he’s worked the whole summer, he took it personal, and he’s done a great job throughout this whole summer and this preseason.”

Springer is averaging 11.7 points in the preseason and shooting 63.6% from the floor. If he can continue to take steps on the offensive end, he should be a rotation regular.

Other than Springer, the Sixers have undrafted rookies Terquavion Smith, Ricky Council IV and Azuolas Tubelis to develop. Smith has had some nice moments during the exhibition schedule, which shows his potential and the work that must be done.

“Terq obviously is extremely talented,” Embiid added. “He comes in, he’s got a long way to go. He has a lot of energy and he wants to play and he wants to get involved and attack and attack and attack which is great, but he’s gonna learn as time goes, but we got a bunch of young, talented guys, and we just have to help them.”

The Sixers have one preseason game left on Friday when they host the Atlanta Hawks.

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Tobias Harris feeling impressed with Terquavion Smith, Sixers rookies

Tobias Harris has been feeling impressed with Terquavion Smith and the other rookies for the Philadelphia 76ers.

CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers have a talented group of undrafted rookies coming in looking to make an impact. Terquavion Smith, Ricky Council IV, and Azuolas Tubelis are all signed to two-way deals and the Sixers will be looking to develop them in the G League.

All three players, particularly Smith and Council IV, have shown off some impressive skills such as athleticism, shooting, playmaking, and defensive plays. They had some solid performances in the summer league and they now have been able to show their veteran teammates in practice and in the preseason so far.

“To start off, the athleticism is crazy,” laughed Tobias Harris. “Even today (Sunday). We’ve been gone for two weeks now. We’ve just gone 5-on-0 and I’m just sitting over like ‘These guys are fast’. They got speed, power, athleticism, and they’ve been pushing us. Like when we’ve gone live every single day that we’ve played, they’ve been pushing the pace, pushing us and keeping us sharp.”

Smith and Council IV were able to show off their athleticism and skill in Saturday’s Blue X White scrimmage in Delaware which is where they will spend the majority of their rookie season with the Blue Coats. The Sixers are just here to help them along.

“Everybody that was at the scrimmage got to see that up front of how good they can be,” Harris added. “We’re just here to help help their progress along the way. They’re all great players, great people in the locker room as well. So that’s fun to be a part of when you see that development of the young guys.”

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Nick Nurse discusses plans for Terquavion Smith, other Sixers rookies

Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse discusses the plans for Terquavion Smith and the other rookies on the team.

WILMINGTON, Del.–As the Philadelphia 76ers move forward with the 2023-24 season, the focus remains on winning their first championship since 1983. Even amid the James Harden saga, they feel like they have a talented team to compete in the Eastern Conference and win a title.

Therefore, their crop of rookies will need to get to the G League to get the necessary court time to develop and grow.

Two-way players Terquavion Smith, Ricky Council IV, and Azuolas Tubelis will likely be spending the upcoming season with the Delaware Blue Coats in order to continue to grow as players in the future.

“I just think that nobody gets better unless there’s minutes on the court,” said coach Nick Nurse. “So first and foremost, I want minutes for those guys, and then there’s gotta be opportunity, chances, and that’s usually talking about creating offense and shot attempts and all those kinds of things. I just think that you do have to focus in on those guys maximizing their time here and that means minutes and chances.”

Those minutes will not be available at the NBA level. It’s just the nature of the business in this league and that is where the G League continues to come in and make a difference.

Nurse and Blue Coats coach Mike Longabardi will be in contact all season long in order to help their group of talented young players continue to grow.

“I believe in keeping it together,” Nurse added. “There’s obviously lots of synergy with the systems and so there’s some smooth transition time and stuff like that. So I’m encouraging those guys to be around us as much as their schedules allow and I think it just makes that synergy so much easier.”

It does help the youngsters that they have been able to work with both Nurse and Longabardi a bit in the summer. That gives them a jump start heading into the new season.

“I really think they’ve put a lot of time in,” added Longabardi. “If you go back track. They were together for two summer leagues. We had some workouts in LA that they were at and then the month of September, they did an amazing job just coming in being there. Five, six days a week working on their games, they built the chemistry together.”

There is one important thing that the rookies all have that Longabardi notices: they all love the game.

“I think they’re all hungry,” he finished. “I think they all love basketball. They love to play and they want to get better.”

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Jaden Springer has some advice for Sixers rookies about the G League

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jaden Springer has some advice for the team’s rookies about how to handle the G League.

WILMINGTON, Del.–Another season means another crop of rookies to help groom and develop for the future.

The Philadelphia 76ers did not have any picks in the 2023 NBA draft, but they were able to bring in some undrafted players on some two-way deals.

The Sixers brought in Terquavion Smith, Ricky Council IV, and Azuolas Tubelis on two-way deals after the conclusion of the draft. Those three players will likely spend the majority of their rookie season in the G League with the team’s affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

Jaden Springer has spent most of his first two seasons in the NBA toiling in the G League. He shared some advice for the rooks as they get set to begin their NBA journey.

“Terq and Ricky, they asked me about G League a couple times, so I was just telling them when you go there, that’s where you get better,” Springer explained. “Just work on your game. They’ve been around all preseason, so they’re gonna take what we learned here just bring it to the G League. Go hard and just attack with the right mindset. You’re gonna be great.”

Smith, Council IV, and Tubelis were able to get valuable experience in the summer league and the goal now is to carry that to Delaware and continue to grow. They can take lessons from Springer who was a 2023 G League champion and G League finals MVP.

“Springer plays hard on both ends, so it’s a lot you can take from Springer,” said Smith. “Just by him always playing hard, and he’s always giving it his all when he’s on the court. So I feel like we can take that from him and carry it on.”

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Sixers enjoy seeing Patrick Beverley as a coach during team scrimmage

The Philadelphia 76ers enjoyed having Patrick Beverley as one of the coaches in their Blue X White scrimmage on Saturday.

WILMINGTON, Del.–The Philadelphia 76ers convened at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware to put on their Blue X White scrimmage for the fans. The Chase Fieldhouse is home to their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The Sixers divided up the teams and they had the veterans sit out. Joel Embiid, Danny Green, and Patrick Beverley coached Team Melton while Tobias Harris and PJ Tucker coached Team Maxey. All five coaches had their own style, but Beverley’s stood out.

Beverley was running up and down the sidelines, barking out orders to players while also getting into it with officials. It looked like Beverley has a future in coaching at some point after he decides to hang up his sneakers.

“Pat actually wants to coach and I’m not surprised that he took the board and was ready to go and took it fairly seriously,” said coach Nick Nurse. “He does want to coach. He sends me some things from time to time in the summer with youth teams he’s coaching etc.”

Beverley is a guy who is not afraid to let his voice be heard and his thoughts known. That was on full display on Saturday as he was even on the court at times to give his team a spark.

“I feel like Pat Bev will be a great coach,” said rookie Terquavion Smith. “He’s got good energy. He don’t want nothing but the best. So I think Pat Bev would be a good, solid coach. Well, my type of coach.”

In terms of his intensity, Beverley might have to tone it down a bit to be a coach.

“Pat Bev was on the court too much,” laughed rookie Ricky Council IV. “I ran into him one time.”

Nurse also had some advice for his veteran if he does get into coaching: don’t be so animated.

“He might need to work on that a little bit,” Nurse laughed. “Probably a little too animated. Out on the court a little too much, too, maybe, but other than that, it’s good.”

The Sixers will head to New York on Monday to take on the Brooklyn Nets to continue the preseason.

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Player grades: Tyrese Maxey plays well, Sixers fall to Celtics in preseason

Tyrese Maxey plays well, but the Philadelphia 76ers fall to the Boston Celtics in the preseason opener.

The Philadelphia 76ers began the preseason schedule on Sunday with a visit to where their 2022-23 season ended: the TD Garden. The Sixers took on the Boston Celtics with a lot less on the line as both teams look to prepare for the upcoming season.

The Sixers played without Joel Embiid, James Harden, De’Anthony Melton, and Furkan Korkmaz as coach Nick Nurse wanted to see what he has in other pieces. He knows what he has in Tyrese Maxey as the young guard went to work early and often in this one to the tune of 24 points. The Sixers did drop this one to the Celtics 114-106.

Tobias Harris added 13 points and seven rebounds, Patrick Beverley had 12 points, Jaden Springer added 14 points and five rebounds, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had six and four rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the preseason loss: