Maryland Basketball: Melo Trimble shines for Philadelphia 76ers

Melo Trimble had barely seen the floor throughout the bulk of NBA Summer League play.

On Tuesday, the former Maryland guard was finally able to make an impact for the Philadelphia 76ers.

In 13 minutes, Trimble scored 13 points (4-of-8 shooting) and recorded a pair of steals in a 88-83 loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics. The former Bishop O’Connell (Va.) standout also connected on three of his five shots from beyond the arc.

His 13 points were tied for the second-highest on the team along with Australian big man Jonah Bolden. Second-year French guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the 76ers with 16 points.

This was by far Trimble’s most productive outing of the Summer League thus far. He only appeared in one other games, which came in the Salt Lake City leg of the Summer League when he scored just three points against the Utah Jazz.

Trimble failed to be selected in last month’s NBA Draft despite working out with several teams and putting up stellar numbers as a junior. Following the draft, he signed with the 76ers for a chance to try and latch on with an NBA franchise.

It’s really been perplexing as to why Trimble hasn’t seen the court more for Philadelphia. The 76ers selected former DeMatha and Washington guard Markelle Fultz with the number one pick, but Fultz went down with a sprained ankle this past weekend.

Without Fultz in the lineup, it was thought that Trimble might get more time to showcase his skills. However, this was the first action that he had seen since suiting up in the Salt Lake City leg of the Summer League.

Next: Terps look to make statement against Texas

Trimble will look to build on this impressive game and potentially make the 76ers roster out of training camp. It’s certainly going to be an uphill climb with the amount of veteran guard depth that Philadelphia has on their roster.