All 76ers

Sixers Send Isaiah Joe on G League Assignment With Blue Coats

Isaiah Joe is headed to Disney.

Justin Grasso

The Philadelphia 76ers have arranged plans for their second-round rookie Isaiah Joe to fly down to Orlando, Florida, to play with the Delaware Blue Coats.

Back in November, the Sixers brought Joe in from Arkansas as they selected the rookie sharpshooter with the 49th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Following draft night, Joe made it known that from his understanding, the Sixers didn't have any plans to assign him to a role in the G League.

And for a little while, that was the case. Although the Delaware Blue Coats' season started a couple of weeks ago, the Sixers kept Isaiah Joe on board with the main roster. And lately, he's garnered some minutes off the bench. 

Before Saturday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Joe averaged roughly six minutes-per-game over the last nine matchups. Last week, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers even hinted at the possibility of keeping Joe in the main rotation coming off the bench and taking up some of Furkan Korkmaz's minutes.

But at this point, it seems the Sixers quickly changed their minds. On Saturday night, the Sixers took on the Cavaliers, and Joe didn't pick up a single second of playing time. On Sunday morning, the team announced they are officially assigning Joe to a role with the Blue Coats down in the G League bubble.

Although Joe looked solid with the Sixers in 20 games as he's averaged 4.3 points while shooting 38-percent from beyond-the-arc, it's clear the rookie guard could use some fine-tuning. While many might be disappointed that Joe won't be around for the Sixers for some time, garnering some playing time with the Blue Coats could be excellent for his development.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

Home/News