Sixers’ Isaiah Joe has impressed at NBA summer league despite battling shoulder injury

All was well in summer league action for Isaiah Joe until he developed soreness in his left shoulder.

Isaiah Joe paced the Summer League's team with his shooting and ballhandling before dealing with shoulder soreness.Read moreJeff Swinger / AP

Published Jul. 10, 2022, 9:11 p.m. ET

LAS VEGAS — The only thing that has been able to stop Isaiah Joe this summer is a slight injury.

The 76ers guard left the first half of Sunday’s NBA 2k23 Summer League game against the Brooklyn Nets with left shoulder soreness. Joe did not return in the 91-84 loss at the Thomas & Mack Center.

That shouldn’t have any bearing on how the Sixers view him.

Joe is a third-year guard who has played in 96 career NBA games. And he’s been one of the Summer Sixers’ better performers.

The 23-year-old, whose $1.78 million salary will become guaranteed on Oct. 23, has already shown what he can do.

But his night ended Sunday after scoring three points on 1-for-3 shooting to go with one rebound in eight minutes, 8 seconds. Joe had been dealing with shoulder soreness since last week’s Salt Lake City Summer League and tried to fight through it against the Nets.

“But I think we want to err on the side of caution for him,” said Sixers skills development coach Dwayne Jones, who is serving as the Sixers’ head coach in Vegas. “It’s been a long run, and we don’t want anything to happen to him. But I think he’ll be pretty good.”

Joe was not made available to media because of the injury.

The Sixers are off until facing the Miami Heat at 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Cox Pavilion. Jones didn’t want to speculate on if the sharpshooter would be available for that game or play in any of the remaining summer league contests.

But Joe has already put on a solid showing in his two Salt Lake City games and the first game in Vegas.

Joe was the SLC leading scorer at 19.0 points per game. He was also tied for first in steals (3.0) and sixth in three-point percentage (44.0%). Joe also had one of the events’ best moments, draining a game-winning three-pointer with 25.2 seconds left in the Sixers’ 80-79 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

Then Joe made 7 of 9 three-pointers in a 24-point effort against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday in the Sixers’ NBA 2K23 opener.

“I think Isaiah has shown that he’s an NBA level shooter,” Jones said. “He’s been able to show that last summer league, this summer league. Obviously, there’s part of the game where you got to keep going.

“But I think he’s done a heck of a job.”