Norvel Pelle earned a two-way contract with the Sixers by showing skills as a defensive anchor

When Norvel Pelle heard the 76ers would be adding him to their roster, he called his mother.

“She just started screaming," he said. “I was like, ‘All right, mom.’”

The 26-year-old big man signed a two-way contract with the Sixers on Monday. He was a standout last season with the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers’ G League affiliate, and now he can split his time between the two teams.

The 6-foot-10, 230-pound center averaged 11.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks with the Blue Coats. After Tuesday’s summer-league training camp practice at the Sixers’ facility in Camden, Pelle said this is the next step toward a full-time NBA deal with the team.

“Another chapter, another way to start working for my other goal ... to get on that roster," he said.

Blue Coats coach Connor Johnson, who is overseeing the summer league team, said Pelle’s defensive production is what made him stand out to the Sixers.

“He had a great year last year. He showed what he can do as a rim-protector, meeting people at the front of the rim with verticality and his ability to jump,” Johnson said. “I also think he can sit down and guard guards at a high level. In the G League, we’d switch a lot and he’d end up on smaller guards. To see a guy with his athleticism, his stature sit down and move his feet the way he does is really impressive.”

Pelle said he has worked this summer to improve his shooting touch, both around the rim and on the perimeter, and has improved his conditioning.

While he didn’t shoot any three-pointers in the G League last season, Pelle did shoot 75.6 percent from the free-throw line and 70 percent from the field. That efficiency from the field, primarily playing as a pick-and-roll diver hunting for dunks and tip-ins, makes him a commodity in the modern NBA.

“I think all of those are skills that translate to the NBA,” Johnson said. “We talk about what we want for a five-man for the Sixers, or any NBA team, it’s rim-protection and finishing.”

Each NBA team has two roster spots available for two-way deals, which allow players to spend up to 45 days with the NBA team and the rest of the season in the G League.

Last season, Shake Milton played in 20 games with the Sixers while on a two-way contract. He spent the rest of his time with the Blue Coats, and developed an appreciation for Pelle’s ability to erase mistakes, both by affecting shots at the rim defensively and finishing in traffic offensively.

“He made my life 10 times easier, helping bail me out on offense and defense” Milton said.

Pelle, Milton, and the rest of the Sixers’ summer-league team will open the tournament in Las Vegas against the Bucks on Friday at 3:30 p.m.