I think we can all agree that team results in summer league games are secondary, and perhaps even largely irrelevant. These games are all for the recent draft picks, undrafted signees and unproven young players from each team to work on various skills in game settings. Ultimately, they’re all trying to make a case for why they deserve at least a chance to compete for a spot on the NBA roster heading into training camp.
That’s why a game like Saturday night’s, one that the [Sixers](https://www.libertyballers.com) ended up losing, [can still end up feeling like a positive for the fanbase](https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/7/5/24462270/sixers-jazz-final-score-2025-nba-summer-league-vj-edgecombe-justin-edwards-ace-bailey). Adem Bona flirted with a double-double in 28 minutes of action and mostly looked like a player that had some NBA experience under his belt in a game in which not many other players could say the same. VJ Edgecombe’s athleticism shined on a few different occasions and while it wasn’t the most efficient 28-point night, the third overall pick looked the part on both ends of the floor, particularly on defense.
Then there’s Johni Broome. The 35th overall selection from last month’s draft out of Auburn got off to a good start before fading a bit in the second half to finish with what looks like a pedestrian 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting to go with five rebounds and a plus/minus of -3. However, there is one indisputable positive from Broome’s stat line that should encourage Sixers fans. The left-handed shooting Broome went 2-of-4 from the three-point line and took his first one less than two minutes into the game.
Broome started next to Bona in what I’m sure Philadelphia hopes will become its regular backup power forward/center combination at some point in 2025-26. It seems increasingly obvious that in order for Broome to survive in the NBA, he’s going to have to be a power forward given his lack of top-end athleticism. The absence of high-level athleticism will probably hinder him from ever being a good NBA rim protector. Once this reality is acknowledged, the most important skill for Broome to continue to improve is his outside shooting. Broome’s a decent passer for a player of his size, and seems to have a high basketball IQ on both ends of the floor. If you couple these skills with a capable jump shot, there’s probably enough positive attributes in Broome’s game for him to overcome his athletic drawbacks.
Three-point shooting and free throw shooting were certainly not two of Broome’s strengths and that’s why it feels like his NBA future will mostly be predicated upon how his shot develops. For what it’s worth, Broome certainly seems pretty self-aware. If you look at his stats throughout his five-year college career, you’ll see a steady uptick in three pointers attempted each season. His best year from three-point land was in 2023-24 when he shot 35.4% at Auburn on just over two attempts per game. His best free-throw shooting year came in 2021-22 when he was still at Morehead State and shot 63.6% from the charity stripe on approximately four free throws per game.
I realize these numbers do not wow anyone and shooting just below 64% from the free throw line is probably still not good enough. However, I think most people would take Broome shooting 35% from the three-point line. It feels like 35% from deep and 70% from the free-throw line are percentages Sixers fans should happily take from Broome, and now it’s just a matter of if he can get there, and if so, how quickly he can do it.
Even without an average vertical jump, Broome’s going to rebound. A lot of times when watching the summer league opener, Broome was simply in the right place at the right time to clean things up off the glass when he did corral a rebound and this also resonates with his interior scoring. He’s not going to posterize an opposing big, but his high basketball IQ should allow him to clean up enough loose change and be in the right spot for dump offs to pick up enough field goals in tight. But he’ll still need his shooting to round things out offensively.
To be perfectly clear, four three-pointers attempted in one summer league game is surely not enough for us to make a definitive declaration that Broome is going into these summer league games with the singular goal of improving his jump shot in mind. But, even if Broome’s just going out and trying to do similar things to what made him such a successful college player, in the summer league opener he showed a willingness to shoot the three when left alone. Frankly, that’s all that matters.
For a player like Broome who slowly added more jump shots to his repertoire in college, I don’t think anyone should expect him to ever be a marksman from beyond the arc. He’s probably never going to be a volume shooter from deep and that’s just fine. It’s the confidence to fire away when defenses leave him alone on the perimeter that Broome seems to have right now and must continue to have when he’s left alone in NBA regular season games. If Broome can make two threes a game on anywhere from four to six attempts per game, he’s got a shot to be a double-double guy off the bench.
Bona already showed a solid defensive prowess in his rookie year and seems to possess enough athleticism to block a decent amount of shots as an NBA center. This makes Broome and Bona a continually intriguing frontcourt duo for Sixers fans to watch for the remainder of summer league and heading into training camp and the 2025-26 preseason. One would think the two could clean up a lot of rebounds defensively, and Broome’s improved outside shooting would allow them to play together offensively. Granted, Broome would probably still have some problems guarding quicker power forwards on the perimeter, but the Sixers should cross that bridge when they get there.
For now, it’s important that Broome continues to attempt four to six three pointers a night in summer league. Regardless of what his final numbers look like from summer league, he must head into training camp with the mindset that he needs to keep shooting. He doesn’t seem to lack confidence out of the gate, and that’s a good start.