NBA Summer League can start to feel like a long march, and Wednesday had that familiar late-July drag to it. The Summer Sixers took another loss, falling 99-92 to an Orlando Magic group packed with former Philadelphia connections, while Labaron Philon Jr. hit his first real wall of the week.
Philon opened the game the right way, scoring almost immediately after tipoff. After that, the night turned rough in a hurry.
He missed all eight of his shots the rest of the first half, including five from deep, and finished 7-for-24 overall with a brutal 1-for-13 mark from three. It was a sharp drop-off after several encouraging Summer League performances.
That said, one bad night does not rewrite the bigger picture. Summer League box scores are a noisy thing, and Philon’s earlier strong showings do not make him a future star any more than this one game suddenly changes his outlook. What he has shown in Las Vegas is a guard with real juice: creativity off the dribble, comfort running pick-and-rolls, and enough pull-up shooting threat to keep defenses honest.
There’s also the roster reality around him. Johni Broome did not play Wednesday, which left Philon without much in the way of reliable help.
Even so, the Summer Sixers nearly pulled off an end-of-game comeback before falling short. In their four scheduled games in Las Vegas, they went 2-2, a solid result considering Broome was the only player on the roster with any NBA experience, and that experience totaled just 55 minutes.
Philon may already be done in Las Vegas. That’s often how it goes for first-round picks once they’ve shown enough. Whether or not he plays again this summer, he has clearly done enough to leave a mark.
His path to a regular role in Philadelphia is not simple, though. The Sixers’ addition of Anfernee Simons makes the guard picture tighter, and Nick Nurse already has Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe set to soak up huge minutes.
Simons should be viewed as one of the better third guards in the league, which leaves Philon trying to find a lane in a crowded room. The organization still believes the 21-year-old has the talent to contribute right away, but the question is where the minutes come from if the roster stays healthy.
Wednesday’s opponent also came with a strange little Sixers reunion. Orlando’s Summer League team featured several familiar faces from Philadelphia’s recent past, even if not all of them took the floor.
Ricky Council IV, the former undrafted two-way signing who spent two seasons with the Sixers and led the team in games played during the 2024-25 season, was among them. He brought the frame and athleticism, but the three-point shooting and decision-making never quite held up. He did not play Wednesday and has not been part of Orlando’s rotation in Las Vegas.
Lester Quinones was another old Sixers name on the Orlando side. He joined Philadelphia on a two-way deal before the 2024-25 campaign after earlier years with the Golden State Warriors, then was waived in favor of another two-way player.
He later finished that season on a two-way with the New Orleans Pelicans, and last season did not appear in an NBA game. He has been too good for the G League and Summer League, but still has not locked in as an NBA piece.
Colin Castleton also showed up on Orlando’s roster, after helping the Sixers get through the end of that rough season two years ago. He signed a 10-day deal through the hardship exception, played four games, and then agreed to a standard contract with the Toronto Raptors minutes after finishing a game for Philadelphia.
Phillip Wheeler was the last of the former Sixers in the mix. He signed a 10-day deal late in that same season, appeared in five games, and shot 3-for-21 from the field. He has not played in an NBA game since.
In Other News...
Joel Embiid Just Added To Philadelphias Championship Pressure
Joel Embiid spent part of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, taking in the action from the stands as Philadelphia hosted another big-sport showcase. It was another reminder of how much the citys biggest basketball name still looms over the local scene, even in the middle of a summer baseball event that ended with the American League beating the National League 4-0.
For the 76ers, the timing only adds to the pressure around a franchise trying to keep pace with the rest of Philadelphias sports conversation. The Phillies and Eagles have both had recent postseason runs that left the city wanting more, and with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey now joined by a new co-star, the expectations around the Sixers are only getting louder. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers LeBron Buzz Suddenly Feels A Lot More Real
VJ Edgecombe did not hide how he feels about LeBron James, and for a young 76ers guard trying to make his mark, that kind of admiration only adds to the noise around Philadelphias pursuit. The interest is no longer just fan chatter, either. The Sixers have become one of the teams most closely tied to James, with the organizations core already working behind the scenes to make the pitch feel real.
Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown have all reportedly been in communication with James as part of the recruiting effort, a sign that Philadelphia is treating this as more than a long shot. The Sixers are now being mentioned alongside the Cavaliers and Heat as one of the leading destinations, which is exactly the kind of company that keeps this storyline alive while everyone waits to see whether the next step actually happens. [Read more 🡒]