St. Joe's Roberts Opening Eyes With 76ers In Orlando
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 76ers are 1-1 in Orlando Pro Summer League action after beating Oklahoma City on Sunday, 84-73. St. Joseph's University product Ronald Roberts Jr. had 12 points and six rebounds in the victory for the 76ers. It was the second straight solid game for the 6'8" forward in Orlando, as he poured in 12 points and pulled down 9 boards in Saturday's loss to the Magic.
"I definitely feel like I'm playing as well as I can," Roberts tells KYW Newsradio. "I'm really just trying to attack the glass. I wish I had more rebounds (Sunday), but I'm definitely comfortable on the Sixers."
While he is suiting up with the 76ers down in Orlando, Roberts was not selected in last month's NBA Draft, this despite a very good career on Hawk Hill. This past season as a senior, Roberts averaged 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds for a St. Joe's team that won the Atlantic 10 title. He says his time with the Hawks is a big reason why he is where he is right now.
"It got me ready because (St. Joe's) Coach (Phil) Martelli taught me a lot," Roberts says. "He showed me how to be a man, showed me how to be on time. He showed me a lot of things."
Roberts thinks he has a lot to offer an NBA team.
"The way I compete and my energy level," Roberts says. "I think I can really use that on an NBA team. And then once I use that, it just opens up other things. Once I hustle, I'll get the ball, get rebounds, get on loose balls and stuff like that. Basically my motor, I think my motor's what really sets me apart from a lot of these players."
This 76ers Summer League team is getting a lot of attention because it is the first chance for everyone to see Nerlens Noel in game action. Of course, the 2013 first-round pick missed all of last season recovering from a knee injury and Roberts says Noel looks good.
"He's very talented," Roberts says. "Obviously, he's a good shot-blocker, but you can see he really hasn't missed a step. He looks good on offense, he was driving to the basket, he had a dunk the first play of the game (on Saturday)."
Roberts, Noel and the rest of the 76ers Orlando Summer League team return to game action on Tuesday night against Houston.
Listen to Roberts interview with Matt Leon:
Sixers' Ronald Roberts
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.
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