McDaniels and Noel work on defensive presence as Sixers fall to Knicks
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The 76ers are trying to look for keepers to surround lottery picks Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric in the future.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The 76ers are trying to look for keepers to surround lottery picks Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric in the future.
They may have found one in KJ McDaniels, a rookie guard out of Clemson.
"I've gone on record, saying I hope to grow him as sort of a Bruce Bowen type, who I spent many, many years with" in San Antonio, said second-year Sixers coach Brett Brown.
"What that means is developing a corner three-point shot and reminding him that he is a defensive player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference," Brown said of McDaniels. "We are looking for defense in this program and that's his challenge. We will give him heavyweights throughout the season to guard."
The 6-foot-6, 200-pound McDaniels had his fourth tune-up Tuesday in an 84-77 preseason loss the New York Knicks at the Carrier Dome.
Noel was the most impressive Sixer.
The 6-11, 217-pound rookie power forward finished with 12 points, three assists and a blocked shot to go with game highs of 11 rebounds and four steals. Noel, who missed Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a bruised thigh, went 6 for 8 from the foul line and committed four turnovers.
His comfort level "is a [world of difference] from the Celtics game," said Noel, who struggled in the Oct. 6 preseason opener against the Boston Celtics. "I'm a lot more comfortable, and I'm finding my spots."
McDaniels, meanwhile, had a so-so performance.
He struggled at times to stay in front of guards Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. As a result, he was called for four fouls. The reserve did, however, finish with eight points, three rebounds and a steal. He is averaging 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals in the preseason.
McDaniels' best defensive performance came when he blocked four shots and had two steals in a 98-78 loss to the Boston Celtics.
"I feel like I need to defend better," McDaniels said. "I'm defending, but I feel like there's more than I need to improve on, offensively as well. I need to protect the offensive glass and try to bring some excitement."
The 21-year-old knows he must improve a lot to be in the same category as Bowen, who was named to the NBA all-defensive team for five straight seasons. McDaniels studies game film of Bowen and wants to model himself after the three-time NBA champion.
"That's a Hall of Fame defender, a champion," he said. "To be compared to him is a great thing."
The game was scheduled to feature former Syracuse standouts and Sixers teammates Carter-Williams and Jerami Grant against former Orange great Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks. But Carter-Williams and Grant are sidelined.
Carter-Williams had surgery on May 6 to repair the labrum in his right shoulder. He has not been cleared to participate in full-contact scrimmages. Grant, a rookie forward, has been sidelined since the second day of training camp because of dehydration and a lingering sprained right ankle.
"I'm a competitive player," Grant said, "so, obviously, I want to be on the court, especially in an environment like Syracuse . . . coming back to basically my second home. To be able to play here would be tremendous."
Undrafted rookie JaKarr Sampson started at shooting guard against the Knicks. He scored a total of two points in the first three preseason games, but Sampson had nine points on 3-for-4 shooting on Tuesday.
"I think with JaKarr being from St. John's and we are playing the Knicks, he deserves it because he had a good practice," Brown said.
Rookie forward Ronald Roberts missed the game with a left quadriceps strain.
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