76ers vs. Pacers: How Did Jalen McDaniels Do in Starting Debut?

Jalen McDaniels made his starting debut with the 76ers on Monday.

The Philadelphia 76ers ran into some injury concerns lately. As they worked on upsetting the Milwaukee Bucks over the weekend, two starters went down with injuries during the game. Tobias Harris dealt with calf soreness, which ended his night after 13 minutes. PJ Tucker’s back spasms caused him to go out after a 19-minute shift.

The Sixers considered Harris and Tucker questionable going into Monday night’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers. As the two were not active participants in the morning shootaround session, one of the newest Sixers, Jalen McDaniels, found out there was a possibility he could start for Philadelphia for the first time. 

“This morning at shootaround they usually call the starters,” McDaniels explained after the game. “Doc was like, ‘Jalen, come on.’ We’re missing Tobias and PJ. So, he threw me in there.”

The Sixers left the door open for Harris and Tucker to play on Monday, but they were both ruled out 30 minutes before tip-off. At that point, De’Anthony Melton and McDaniels got the nod to start. For Melton, it was nothing new. For McDaniels, it was a debut considering he’s been with the team for just nine games leading up to Monday’s matchup.

While McDaniels is still working out some kinks as he settles into his role in Philadelphia, it’s becoming clear he’s getting comfortable as the season progresses.

In his first eight minutes on the floor Monday night, McDaniels produced points on three of his five shots from the field. Tacking on a free throw as well, McDaniels scored seven points for the Sixers while coming down with five rebounds in the first quarter.

By the end of the first half, McDaniels had nine points in 16 minutes during the Sixers’ tight 79-78 matchup.

After a quiet second quarter on the offensive end, McDaniels was flawless from the field in the third quarter. In his next eight minutes on the floor, he drained all three of his shots and one of his foul shots. Once again, he had a seven-point quarter as the Sixers, and the Pacers went into the fourth quarter tied at 114.

The Sixers relied on Joel Embiid’s offensive star power to close out the matchup, but McDaniels produced another four points in his final five minutes on the floor. And in a rather ugly game for defensive-minded players, McDaniels was one of the few defensive standouts on the floor.

“Just playing my game that I play every day,” McDaniels told NBC Sports Philadelphia of his performance with the starters. “I’m not trying to do too much. Just running the floor, playing with a high motor, high energy on defense, and getting to my spots on offense. When I get my opportunity, just making the best of it.”

All in all, McDaniels’ starting debut with the Sixers went well. For the fifth time this season, he scored at least 20 points. It was the first time he achieved that total as a member of the Sixers.

In addition to his scoring, McDaniels collected eight rebounds and snatched two steals. While he’ll more than likely resume his role off the bench when the Sixers get healthy again, Monday’s performance was proof that McDaniels could be a complementary piece to Philly’s key players, which is a nice development for the upcoming playoff run. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.