A Look Into Saben Lee's First Week With 76ers, Blue Coats

When the Brooklyn Nets accepted defeat early last Tuesday in South Philly, the Philadelphia 76ers emptied their bench and trotted out the two-way duo of Julian Champagnie and Michael Foster Jr. For both prospects, they were making their NBA debuts.

Shortly after wrapping up the matchup against the Nets, the rookie Foster was notified of his release. With the Sixers lacking guard depth while knowing Joel Embiid would be back in the mix to join the group of bigs in Paul Reed, Montrezl Harrell, and even sometimes PJ Tucker, Philly’s front office seemed to no longer have a need for Foster in one of their two-way slots.

To replace Foster on the roster, the 76ers inked Raptors 905 guard and former Detroit Pistons veteran Saben Lee. Last Wednesday, Lee officially signed with the Sixers before they took on the Charlotte Hornets. As expected, he wasn’t with the team just yet.

When Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic approached, Lee was initially ruled out as he was on pace to make his Delaware Blue Coats debut. However, the guard found out last minute he would be Orlando-bound to join the Sixers for their Friday night matchup against the Magic.

“It was a quick turn of events,” Lee said, discussing his hectic weekend last week. “I thought I was gonna be in Delaware for a game. They called me and told me they wanted me to come over to Orlando. I got in like an hour before the game and kind of just had to learn things on the fly.”

While Doc Rivers didn’t rule out potentially playing Lee last Friday night, the veteran guard didn’t actually make his debut until Sunday night’s rematch against the Magic. 

As the Sixers were on a roll, en route to a blowout victory over Orlando, Lee made his 76ers debut in the final four minutes of the matchup. Although it was a short amount of time, the 23-year-old former Vanderbilt standout made his impact.

With a contested layup, Lee hit on his only shot of the night to register his first two points as a Sixer. He also collected two assists on the offensive end and snagged a steal on defense.

“It was really good, they were real welcoming,” Lee said when discussing joining the team. “They told me everything they wanted me to learn, the plays, they helped me through it. I was able to have a day there to work out with the coaches, go through some plays, work out with Julian (Champagnie). It was a good introduction to the new nuances over here.”

After spending three games with the Sixers, Lee didn’t make the trip to Cleveland with his teammates following Philly’s Monday night win over the Atlanta Hawks. Instead, the young guard stuck around on the East Coast so he could debut for the Blue Coats on Tuesday night as they took on the Maine Celtics.

Getting the nod to start, Lee checked into Tuesday night’s matchup for 37 minutes. As he got up 12 shots from the field, Lee knocked down 58 percent of his attempts. He finished the night second in scoring with 22 points. In addition to scoring, Lee registered six rebounds and five assists.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to make my mark, to show what I can do with the opportunity,” Lee explained. “I don’t take this opportunity for granted, for sure. Everyone here has been real welcoming, you know, trying to help me adjust to the new things over here. Pretty much everyone’s been really welcoming and giving me any advice they can.”

After wrapping up his Blue Coats debut, Lee hit the road to reunite with the Sixers' main roster in Cleveland on Wednesday. It's unclear if he'll find playing time on the team's current road trip or not, but the two-way prospect is available to Doc Rivers if needed.