Sixers Player Grades After Preseason Win vs. Cavs

How did the Philadelphia 76ers grade out after a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Following an impressive victory over the Brooklyn Nets on the road to begin their preseason, the Philadelphia 76ers continued their schedule on Wednesday night at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The new-look Cavs gave the Sixers’ starters a run for their money to begin Wednesday’s game. After a tight first half, the Sixers went into halftime trailing by four points. After two quarters, both teams pulled their starters out for the rest of the game as expected.

When the reserves took the floor, the Sixers and the Cavs continued a tight race to the finish line. Going into the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 90. By the time it concluded, the 76ers came out on top with an impressive 113-112 victory.

As a team, the Sixers put on a respectable effort. Now, how did each individual player grade out?

Player Grades

Tobias Harris: A-

The Sixers’ starting lineup looked rusty at the start of the game, but Tobias Harris was sharp from the field, making four of his five shots in 16 minutes. With the rise of Maxey, and the superstardom of Embiid and Harden, Harris is often the forgotten one in Philly, but teams definitely can’t sleep on his ability to score.

PJ Tucker: B

PJ Tucker’s value goes beyond what the box score says. Sure, the veteran registered zero points in 17 minutes, but he did exactly what he was brought to Philly to do — make hustle plays and get the Sixers’ offense more opportunities with his rebounding.

Sixers center Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid: B

Even on a night when Joel Embiid looked nonchalant on the court, the big man was flashing some brilliance. He collected 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 18 minutes. Since it’s preseason, Embiid didn’t look charged up, but even on a calm night, he impacted the game.

Tyrese Maxey: A+

Another outstanding performance from the young guard, Tyrese Maxey. Once again, Maxey was hitting on nearly all of his shots from the field, he was knocking down every three he attempted and was moving at a lightening fast speed even though it was just preseason. 

Sixers guard James Harden

James Harden: C+

A lot is expected of James Harden this season considering he teased a possible MVP bounce-back year. Not much is expected of a ten-time All-Star in the preseason, considering the game doesn’t mean much for the team as a whole, so an average performance is fine. Harden looked a bit quicker driving to the rim, which is a positive sign, but his drives weren’t translating to points as his shot was not falling. In 18 minutes, Harden wrapped up the night by scoring nine points on nine shots. He also collected five assists.

De’Anthony Melton: B

De’Anthony Melton’s Sixers debut was pretty much forgettable since his shots were not falling. The young guard bounced back on Wednesday with a slightly better scoring performance as he collected 11 points in 15 minutes. Once again, his value on defense added excitement for the upcoming season. When his threes start to fall, Melton will be an excellent piece to the Sixers’ bench.

Georges Niang: B-

Georges Niang is expected to be a high-volume three-point shooter for the 76ers. He took on five attempts from deep Wednesday night. It wasn’t a flashy performance by any means, but two out of five isn’t bad at all. Niang wrapped up the night with six points.

Sixers guard Shake Milton

Shake Milton: B

The veteran guard led the Sixers in minutes on Wednesday with nearly 27. Scoring-wise, Milton picked up 12 points and created five assists. With more minutes in a preseason game, you would like to see more out of one of the key bench players, but Milton did enough to help contribute to a Sixers win.

Danuel House: C

Danuel House didn’t have too many scoring opportunities in his Sixers debut, so he had a quiet night. The good news is the one shot attempt he took from beyond the arc, House knocked it down for his only basket of the matchup. 

Sixers center Paul Reed

Paul Reed: B

Paul Reed entered the game as the first backup center behind Embiid. He wasn’t as active in the scoring department on Wednesday, but his presence was felt on the boards. The young hybrid center grabbed six rebounds against Cleveland. He also had four steals on the defensive end. The key to Reed’s success with the Sixers is making his presence felt in limited minutes and keeping fouls to a minimum. With just one foul in 17 minutes on Wednesday, Reed is really showing progress where it matters.

Sixers center Montrezl Harrell

Montrezl Harrell: A

Montrezl Harrell was one of the more experienced and accomplished players on the floor when he finally got into the game, but his dominance was on full display. He made all but two of his shots and picked up 13 points in 16 minutes. Harrell brought energy to the game and was key to helping the Sixers squeeze out a tight victory against a talented Cleveland team.

Matisse Thybulle: C-

The talk about Matisse Thybulle’s offensive growth set the bar high for the veteran defensive standout. So far, he hasn’t come close to exceeding expectations. Thybulle attempted a few threes on Wednesday, none of which went in. In total, he went 1-4 from the field and collected two points from the charity stripe, scoring a total of four points in 14 minutes.

Furkan Korkmaz: C- 

Following an impressive Monday night performance, Furkan Korkmaz showed a lot of fire in his postgame press conference as he put the Sixers’ new additions on notice. Wednesday was a perfect opportunity for Korkmaz to continue building on his comeback campaign, but he came up way short. In 19 minutes, Korkmaz chucked up eight shots, with five coming from beyond the arc. He missed all of his threes and scored just four points in nearly 20 minutes. Consistency is key for Korkmaz to win a spot in Philly’s rotation, and through two preseason games, he doesn’t have that. 

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