Doc Rivers Assesses Jalen McDaniels’ 76ers Playoff Debut vs. Nets

How did Jalen McDaniels perform in his 76ers' Playoff debut?

When the Philadelphia 76ers traded with the Charlotte Hornets to land the young veteran guard Jalen McDaniels, one of the primary concerns about the deal surrounded McDaniels’ lack of playoff experience.

Playing in Charlotte since the 2019-2020 season, McDaniels never had an opportunity to play beyond the regular season. Therefore, the Game 1 matchup between the Sixers and the Brooklyn Nets this past Saturday afternoon was McDaniels’ playoff debut.

In his first set of playoff action, McDaniels checked in for nearly 17 minutes. The young veteran came off the bench for the Sixers for the 25th time this season. Following a Philadelphia practice session on Sunday morning, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers assessed McDaniels’ debut.

“He was great,” said Rivers. “I thought him and [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 of times and got beat off the dribble because of that. Other than that, Jalen is a factor because of his ability to handle the ball in the paint. 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.”

McDaniels finished Saturday’s game with five points. He was 2-2 from the field, knocking down his lone three-point shot. In addition to scoring, McDaniels collected four rebounds on the defensive end and accounted for two of the team’s assists.

With the Sixers firing up a blowout win over the Nets in Game 1, McDaniels finished the 20-point victory as a plus-11 on the floor. While one game is a small sample size for the 25-year-old, Doc Rivers and the Sixers seem encouraged about his postseason play so far.

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