As the Philadelphia 76ers continue to pursue options to improve their depth as the trade deadline approaches, they got a bit of good news internally on Tuesday when Justin Patton made his debut with the Delaware Blue Coats.

Patton, acquired by Philadelphia in the Jimmy Butler trade, has had trouble getting his NBA career off the ground as he battles foot injuries. On Tuesday, he took a big step towards being able to make any kind of impact for the Sixers as he saw his first game action since coming to Philly.

.@sixers assignee @JustinPatton17 made his 2018-19 DEBUT with the @blue_coats on Tuesday afternoon, tallying 8 PTS, 3 REB & 3 STL in just under 13 minutes of action 💪@BluejayMBB ↗️ @sixers ➡️ @blue_coats pic.twitter.com/joQaZCA66j — NBA G League (@nbagleague) February 5, 2019

Patton scored eight points on 4-10 shooting, adding three rebounds, three steals, and an assist in 12 minutes of action. He was 4-7 in the first half before understandably falling off a bit in the second half as he works his way back into game shape.

As you can see in the video, he displayed some nice touch on his jumper and made an impact defensively with those three steals.

It remains to be seen what, if any, contribution Patton can make at the NBA level, but him getting back on the court is a great sign nonetheless.

Sixers rookie Zhaire Smith is expected to make his debut with the Blue Coats on Thursday.