Player grades: Thunder survive Sixers in 89-78 Summer League win

USA Today

15 hours ago

After Cameron Brown couldn't fight his temptations, his final-second outside attempt ended a snoozer in the most appropriate way ever. The referees walked over to the scorer's table and put on the headset for one last lengthy review to determine that the ball was still in his fingers after the buzzer sounded.
The Oklahoma City Thunder collected an 89-78 Summer League win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Buckets came at a premium for most of the contest before a late splurge.
Any excitement for this outing was squashed when VJ Edgecombe was a late scratch due to a thumb injury. The 2025 No. 3 pick dazzled in his debut. Instead, Thunder fans turned their attention to see how Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell could do in their encore as a backcourt.
The results weren't pretty. Likely from the unfamiliar cast of characters that surrounded them. The Thunder and Sixers were tied at 21 points apiece after the first quarter. However, it took a lot for both teams to reach that mark. Offensive woes continued in the second frame.
The Thunder gritted their way to 22 points in the second quarter. They held a 43-38 halftime lead over the Sixers. Neither team could gain a rhythm. Topic would run the fastbreak, but his teammates sold him short on possible assists. Mitchell punished his body with constant drives that resulted in free throws. That was the only reliable source of offense for both squads, as the referees called everything.
The third quarter was even worse. The game's flow came to a screeching halt. You couldn't go a couple of possessions without a foul being called. Summer League allows you 10 fouls. Some players really took advantage of that rule.
In a frame that took nearly 40 minutes of real time to finish, the Thunder scored 18 points to create some distance on the scoreboard. They exited with a 61-52 lead. Chris Youngblood and Jazian Gortman provided a spark off the bench.
The Thunder then ran away with it to start the fourth quarter. Mitchell found Brooks Barnhizer in transition for an easy layup. They suddenly had a 73-56 lead with a little under eight minutes left in the contest. That proved to be OKC's biggest advantage.
The Sixers couldn't get it within single-digit points the rest of the way. Both teams lowered their difficulty level as the scoring resembled the NBA level. The Thunder scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to put away the Sixers without their blue-chip prospect.
The Thunder shot 37% from the field and went 7-of-27 (25.9%) from 3. They shot 32-of-38 on free throws. They had 18 assists on 25 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Topic finished with 11 points and five assists. Mitchell had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Mady Sissoko bounced back with 13 points and nine rebounds. Youngblood scored 15 points and Gortman scored 12 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Sixers shot 41% from the field and went 9-of-22 (40.9%) from 3. They shot 23-of-34 on free throws. They had 12 assists on 23 baskets. Three Sixers players scored double-digit points.
Judah Mintz led the way with 21 points and four rebounds. Jalen Hood-Schifino finished with 17 points and three rebounds. Justin Edwards had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Well, this is about as ugly as Summer League can get. Not only did both teams struggle to score, but 72 combined free-throw attempts in a 40-minute game is just an absurd number that slowed the pace down. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, most folks looked at their watch over the screen.
There were some nice moments for Topic and Mitchell. Plus, some of the non-big-time names showed up for the Thunder. But besides that, though, this was a giant nothing-burger that was easy to predict once Edgecombe was ruled out.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Nikola Topic: C-minus
Being a second ahead of the pass, Topic disrupted Philly's passing lane and caused another steal. He then grabbed the ball and threw up an underhanded lob pass to Hason Ward. The fastbreak alley-oop was a rare highlight in a game that'll be easy to forget by the morning.
Topic finished with 11 points on 2-of-13 shooting, five assists and three rebounds. He shot 0-of-6 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws. He also had three steals.
This is a stereotypical game where the box score doesn't reflect the performance. While the jumper didn't fall, Topic had command of the Thunder's offense with the ball in his hands. He set his teammates up with plenty of good looks, but couldn't cash in on the looks.
While the halfcourt offense has looked muddy, Topic has proven to be a real transition initiator. He can body through multiple defenders or find the open teammate. Those possessions should excite the Thunder, considering those could be a real regular-season fixture.
Lastly, the free-throw numbers are what should be the biggest takeaway here. While it was on a lenient whistle, Topic managed to get to the line at a high rate. The Thunder should understand just how much that skill boosts your scoring with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Until the jumper develops, that's his best bet to score at the NBA level.
Topić with the🔒and the 👀 pic.twitter.com/OgmUCux5ez
Ajay Mitchell: C-plus
Taking a moment, Mitchell battled through. A twisted ankle and constantly throwing his body against defenders eventually add up. The 23-year-old muscled his way through every Sixers defender thrown at his way.
Mitchell finished with 16 points on 3-of-11 shooting, five rebounds and five assists. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 9-of-9 on free throws. He also had a steal and two blocks.
Reading the type of game being officiated, Mitchell attacked the basket every chance he had. Even if a seam wasn't open. The blue-collar drives to the basket resulted in a busy night at the charity stripe. Exactly the type of thing you want to see from your ideal backup point guard.
In two Summer League games, Mitchell has stepped up as the top scorer. He hasn't faded into the background and let the game come to him, like in the regular season. Instead, he's taken advantage of the opportunities and has played like the Thunder's best player so far.
Ajay corner pocket 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/jzuFZEUH5v
2️⃣5️⃣ zipping it inside 👀 pic.twitter.com/Uzl9ZbABBy
Brooks Barnhizer: C-minus
As the third-most important player on the Thunder's Summer League roster, you'd hope to see more of Barnhizer. Instead, one transition layup was the only time you looked up and noticed he was on the court.
Barnhizer finished with two points on 1-of-5 shooting, two rebounds and an assist. He shot 0-of-3 from 3. He also had two steals.
As of now, Barnhizer is the only Thunder two-way player. The 23-year-old couldn't live up to that status as he had a forgettable outing against the Sixers. The jumper will make or break his NBA chances. When he doesn't have it going and can't make loud hustle plays, it'll be tough for him to make an impact on the court.
The good news is that this is just one game. Barnhizer will likely have the rest of the Summer League to familiarize himself with the Thunder. Plenty of the roster will likely be his teammates next season on the G League's OKC Blue.
Mady Sissoko: B
After a straight-up bad first game, Sissoko bounced back with a solid performance. Foul trouble wasn't a problem for the 24-year-old. Branden Carlson hasn't played in these first two games, which meant this was a golden opportunity for the former Golden Bear.
Sissoko finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, nine rebounds and two assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had a steal.
As the starting center, Sissoko was a great play finisher. He was spoon-fed plenty of his buckets as the roller. That's exactly what you want to see from the undrafted rookie. Let's see if he can continue to build momentum the rest of the way as he fights for an OKC Blue spot.
Getting 🆙 pic.twitter.com/kJIFnrHMwS
Topic ➡️ Brooks ➡️ Mady pic.twitter.com/Nn3NGXsG05
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