Tobias Harris Raves About Sixers' Preseason Standout Isaiah Joe

As a second-round draft selection, Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Joe didn't see too much playing time during his rookie effort. Although COVID-19 protocol
Tobias Harris Raves About Sixers' Preseason Standout Isaiah Joe
Tobias Harris Raves About Sixers' Preseason Standout Isaiah Joe /

As a second-round draft selection, Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Joe didn't see too much playing time during his rookie effort. Although COVID-19 protocol complications probably put him on the court more than expected last season, Joe averaged less than 10 minutes of playing time in 2020-2021.

However, during the 41 games he saw action, the former Arkansas standout showed some solid flashes on both ends on the floor. Now, he's looking to make a big jump in year two, and so far, he's off to a solid start.

When Sixers youngsters and roster hopefuls took the court in Las Vegas two months ago, Joe was easily one of Philly's best players on the floor. Now, his Summer League success is translating on the court in the preseason.

During Philly's loss against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, Joe was a lone standout coming off the bench. In a rather forgettable game, Joe hit on five of his nine shots and averaged 50-percent from deep, collecting 18 points.

On Thursday, he had similar flashes. In 22 minutes of action off the bench, Joe accounted for 15 points and drained five of his seven shots from the field, nailing three of his four three-point attempts. Following the Sixers' first preseason victory on Thursday night, Joe received praise from Philly's respected veteran Tobias Harris.

"He's doing a great job," Harris said following Thursday's victory. "He's very humble with the way that he works. He comes in every day. He gets up probably the most shots out of anybody on the team, but I think if you asked anybody about Isaiah, there aren't enough positive things to say. He just goes out there and plays his game sound, solid as ever, offensively and defensively as you're seeing."

Doc Rivers said following Monday's game that the Sixers' coaching staff wants to make sure Joe gets more minutes during the preseason. As the second-year guard is battling for a spot in the team's primary rotation during the regular season, he knows he needs to continue to stand out over the next two games. And Tobias Harris is confident Joe will be able to do that.

"As he continues to play and gain confidence, more things are going to come on the horizon," Harris finished. "He's done a great job all throughout training camp and even in the two games that he's played."

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


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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