The Summer Sixers left Las Vegas with a 100-93 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers’ squad on Saturday, and the biggest takeaway was pretty clear: Labaron Philon Jr. and Johni Broome keep looking like real pieces worth watching.
Philon was again smooth and inventive with the ball, the kind of guard who can bend a defense without forcing the issue. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, who was on the broadcast, pointed to Philon’s "creativity," and that showed up throughout the night.
The No. 22 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft finished with 24 points, six assists and three rebounds, shooting 9-for-22. It was a cleaner, more efficient performance than his opener on Thursday, and he avoided the long scoring lull that slowed him down in that first game.
Broome was just as impressive, maybe more so. He controlled the paint, played at his own pace and made that slower tempo work for him.
His strength was a problem for Indiana inside, both as a scorer and on the boards, and he looked increasingly comfortable throughout the game. Broome ended with 23 points and 11 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, while going 9-for-19 from the field.
He also appears to have built a strong connection with Philon already.
The Summer Sixers’ two standard roster players have opened Summer League on the right foot, but there was plenty else going on around them in Vegas.
Alex Reese was on the other side for the Summer Pacers. The two-way power forward spent the stretch run of the 2024-25 season with the Sixers and wears No. 65 in honor of his late mother, Rebakah.
Indiana also had Jalen Slawson in the lineup, another familiar name after his stint on a two-way deal with the Pacers last season. Slawson, who was one of the standouts for the 2025 Summer Sixers, and Broome were both hit with double technical fouls late in the game.
The crowd and sideline presence had some weight to it, too. Nurse was there, along with assistants Bryan Gates and Mike Longabardi, forward Jabari Walker, center Adem Bona and a group of front-office figures that included Mike Gansey, Jameer Nelson, Ned Cohen and Prosper Karangwa. Gansey even showed up in a bright red Phillies hat.
Nurse also used his second-quarter interview to make a broader point about the roster work the Sixers have done this summer. He said the team needed more athleticism, speed, defensive rebounding and three-point shooting, and argued that the transactions have addressed those areas. He also spoke highly of Jaylen Brown’s growth over the years, drawing on the many times he has coached against him in the Eastern Conference.
Brown was the surprise guest of the day. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP, who was shockingly traded from the Boston Celtics to the Sixers earlier this month, was in attendance holding his new jersey for a photo with Gansey, Nelson and Nurse. He also caught up with Walker, with whom he shared an NBPA international trip earlier this offseason, and spent time talking with Bona after the two crossed paths in the playoffs, when Brown threw down a vicious poster dunk over him.
Bona later joined the broadcast and said he had been watching the World Cup matchup between England and Norway with Brown on the five-time All-Star’s phone. "We all know who JB is and what he brings to the table," Bona said, praising Brown’s intensity and winning mentality.
There were also a few Summer League performances worth noting beyond the two headliners. Matt Rogers gave the Sixers 11 first-quarter bench points and finished with 17 on 7-for-8 shooting, including a clutch corner three. The athletic big out of American University missed the 2025-26 season because of a significant knee injury, but he has put himself in the mix for one of the team’s Exhibit 10 spots, which are training camp deals that include signing bonuses for joining the Delaware Blue Coats.
Isaac Johnson is another name in that conversation. Nicknamed "The Big Fish," the bench big did not shoot especially well in college, but if he makes it at the next level, it figures to be as a stretch big.
And Gerald Ayayi added one more highlight to the night with a poster slam that fit right in with the rest of the action.
In Other News...
76ers Summer League Breakout Is Suddenly Shaking Up Embiid Insurance
Johni Broome has turned two Summer League games into a real conversation for the 76ers, and that is not something many expected when the big man arrived looking like depth insurance. After spending most of last season in the G-League and seeing his NBA chances limited by an injury late in the year, Broome has looked far more comfortable in Las Vegas, backing up the eye test with strong scoring and rebounding in each outing.
For a Philadelphia frontcourt still sorting out who can handle minutes behind Joel Embiid, Broomes surge matters because it changes the shape of the competition. The 76ers have several bigs in that mix, but Broome has shown a different kind of offensive presence and a case for a larger role if this play carries over into the fall, which is exactly the sort of summer development that can quietly reshape a rotation. [Read more 🡒]