Kilpatrick makes his case for NBA spot

LAS VEGAS - Sean Kilpatrick arrived at the NBA Summer League looking to prove he deserves an opportunity to play in the NBA next season. After a solid week of performances for the 76ers' summer-league squad, the undrafted rookie shooting guard just might get that chance.

"He's definitely intriguing," said Sixers assistant Chad Iske, who coached the summer-league team. "Based on his college career and the little bit you saw out here, he obviously knows how to score the ball.

"I think he's going to have to prove that he can consistently knock down the NBA three. . . . He has to prove that he's just as much a shooter as he is a scorer to really crack it."

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder out of Cincinnati averaged 11.5 points, third best on the Sixers behind second-round pick Jordan McRae (21 points) and center Nerlens Noel (13). Though he got open looks, the 24-year-old made just 31 percent (9 of 29) of his three-point shots.

That, however, could have been the result of tired legs.

Because of tendinitis in a knee, Kilpatrick was unable to participate in on-court drills during the NBA combine in May. The Yonkers, N.Y., native played in the summer league at just 70 percent.

Yet Kilpatrick finished with 20, 19, and 15 points in the three games in which he was given extended minutes.

"He has a nose for the ball and a way to find points," Iske said. "He knows he has to improve on the defensive end to help himself out. But you can't write him off yet, that's for sure."

That's obvious from the amount of phone calls his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, received Sunday morning from NBA teams. Based on those conversations, there's optimism that Kilpatrick will receive at least one training camp invitation.

"When I'm able to get the opportunity, I'm going to try my hardest to make a statement and really continue to keep getting better," said Kilpatrick, the second all-time leading scorer (2,145 points) in Cincinnati history behind Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (2,973). "I'm going to try to make sure that everything is going in the right direction."

He's hoping to get an opportunity with the Sixers.

"If I don't," Kilpatrick said, "then hopefully another team will do the same thing."

@PompeyOnSixers

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