Inquirer.com – Zurich DR

Author: Chris Hine

  • Joel Embiid finishes first week of Sixers camp in good health and spirits

    Joel Embiid finishes first week of Sixers camp in good health and spirits

    VJ Edgecombe could have had an easy dunk or layup in Saturday’s Blue x White scrimmage before Joel Embiid made up his mind to prevent it.

    As Edgecombe was weaving his way down the middle of the lane, Embiid made up the few steps he was trailing Edgecombe and met him at the rim. Embiid blocked the shot, but not without a foul. Embiid fell to the ground when he landed, which can cause at least a little bit of nervousness, given his injury history. But he got back up and started twirling around his finger, asking for a review of the play, as did LeBron James.

    “I thought it was all ball,” Embiid said.

    That sequence was just one of a few indications of how healthy Embiid has looked since the start of camp, with teammates, coach Nick Nurse, and president Mike Gansey raving about his intensity and participation level.

    Sixers’ rookie Labaron Philon Jr. already had his welcome to the NBA moment with LeBron: ‘It’s here now’

    “He hasn’t missed a practice. He’s been in damn near everything that we’ve done,” James said. “Pretty much, [the team has] had to sit him out at times, even when he wanted to keep going.”

    Gansey said the team “got a plan together” for Embiid for this season, something Embiid also referenced during his comments Monday at media day. When asked if the team had a target number of games for Embiid to play this season, Gansey didn’t specify, but said the team would take things “day by day” with how Embiid is feeling.

    Embiid played a good portion of the Sixers scrimmage on Saturday, and he looked refreshed and spry on both ends of the floor. He was knocking down threes as a trail man in transition and challenging shots at the rim while dusting off his two-man game with Tyrese Maxey. He even dunked at one point to cap a couple intense possessions battling Ariel Hukporti.

    “That’s probably the last dunk of my career,” Embiid said in typically trolling fashion.

    He also reignited some chemistry with James from their time playing for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics.

    “We played a lot of minutes,” James said. “He started a lot of games for us that summer, but the difference between ‘24 and now, he’s just so much more healthier.”

    On one possession, James hit Embiid in stride as he was approaching the three-point line, and Embiid walked into an open three. That was part of an early barrage of plays James was making that delighted the crowd inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    “Obviously, the Olympics was great. But whether we have played together or not, I don’t think it was going to matter,” Embiid said. “Because at the end of the day, when you put — whether it’s two players, a bunch of players together that have a high basketball IQ — it’s going to be easy to fit with that, and that’s been the case.”

    New-look Sixers roster should allow Nick Nurse to get into his ‘bag’ on defense

    Related to the fit, Embiid touched on one of the buzzwords of this Sixers training camp: sacrifice. James spoke at length about how that word doesn’t have to be a negative. Nurse echoed that, and said he wanted the players to be the best versions of themselves, whatever that may look like within the context of this team. When asked a question about what he has seen from Maxey so far this camp, Embiid took his answer and spoke at length about his view of that word, and what it may mean for him and the rest of the Sixers lineup.

    “It’s not about sacrifice. It’s just about being a star in your role and doing what you do best,” Embiid said. “I don’t think anybody should be put in a box. Just go out there, be yourself. Good shot, great shot, bad shot, we’ve all got each other’s backs. We move on. And then we go get a stop.”

    The Sixers have one of the most star-studded rosters in the NBA. Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    To Embiid, this roster configuration is a chance for every player on the roster to be more efficient with the touches they get because the attention everyone else will command should keep the floor open regardless of who has the ball.

    “You might get less touches, but you might get also more space. So what are you going to do with that space?” Embiid said. “Whether it’s for [Maxey], for me, for everybody, starting lineup, guys coming off the bench, different roles. Roles don’t even matter; it’s just about making the right play for each other over and over and over and try to find a way to be — I think for me — more efficient than I’ve ever been.”

  • New-look Sixers roster should allow Nick Nurse to get into his ‘bag’ on defense

    New-look Sixers roster should allow Nick Nurse to get into his ‘bag’ on defense

    For the first two days of 76ers training camp, coach Nick Nurse was installing defensive concepts. This was especially exciting for Nurse, whose eyes lit up when talking about what this roster allows him to do on that end of the floor.

    “I don’t feel like I’ve been able to get into my bag of defensive stuff nearly as much as I would like to,” Nurse said of his previous years as Sixers coach. “And I think now we’ve got a little bit more depth, size, athleticism. It may take us a minute, but I think I’m most excited about that.”

    A young, inexperienced team might not have the bandwidth to execute multiple coverages like switching one through five, drop coverage, or a high wall without some miscommunication and needing an extra beat to remember which is the current coverage.

    A team lacking size and athleticism limits the kinds of coverages that could be deployed for the sake of ending up in unfavorable mismatches. What the Sixers seem to have is a good mix of that experience, athleticism, and basketball IQ to make it all work.

    Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti have battled since they were teenagers. Now, they are vying to be the Sixers’ backup center

    That they don’t have to just play one way throughout the course of a game, and Nurse can do different things with different lineups and match up better against specific opponents.

    “We have so many defenders and athletes and good players that can do so many different things; we can really go deep inside the playbook and rotations and do things that other teams really don’t have the ability to do,” forward Dean Wade said. “That’s what’s going to separate us on the defensive end, too. We have so many great defenders, great help side defenders and great on-ball defenders.”

    The Sixers were 17th in defensive efficiency a season ago, which speaks, perhaps, to the limited upside of what Nurse could do, especially with Joel Embiid only playing 38 regular-season games. But even when Embiid does take off games to maintain his health, the Sixers have a deeper roster that should still give them flexibility on defense. Wade figures to play a significant part in the team’s defensive success off the bench, while VJ Edgecombe said he will continue to burnish his reputation as a point-of-attack defender after getting “faster and stronger” from where he started a season ago.

    “I’m just trying to make sure I’m in top-tier shape so I can do that,” Edgecombe said. “Obviously, that’s important. The league is full of great guards. And, like you said, that’s important to be that point-of-attack defense because that’s what kind of starts it with most of the possessions. And I want to be able to set that tone for us defensively, and we go from there.”

    Then there’s LeBron James, who still can dial up the intensity defensively when needed. James relayed Monday that Tyrese Maxey previously said Jaylen Brown also was taking on primary defensive responsibilities and trying to set a defensive tone.

    “What’s stood out to me so far is his communication and he’s willing to pick up the ball defensively, kind of just do whatever coach needs him to do right now,” Maxey said.

    Brown mentioned Thursday that he was getting used to the terminology the Sixers use. One thing that might mean a certain coverage when he was in Boston might mean something different with the Sixers.

    Jaylen Brown shares details of his onboarding process — on and off the court — with the Sixers

    “It’s just getting him through it and getting him comfortable,” Nurse said. “I think we’ve covered a lot and probably calmed down on putting more stuff in and really started repping this out, so everybody gets comfortable with what the plays are called.”

    The more Nurse can take out of his “bag,” the more versatility the Sixers can have defensively.

    Up and down the roster, the Sixers have talked about the importance of that side of the ball. Nurse mentioned on Day 1 that James was “extremely loud” on defense, trying to set an example for the rest of the roster, while Brown said, “We’re focused on defense for a couple days, and I like that because that’s where the game is going to be won or lost.”

  • Jaylen Brown shares details of his onboarding process — on and off the court — with the Sixers

    Jaylen Brown shares details of his onboarding process — on and off the court — with the Sixers

    As the 76ers concluded practice Thursday and media came into their facility, Jaylen Brown was again the last one to leave the floor.

    After working on some post-ups and back-to-the-basket moves on Wednesday, Brown was participating in small group workouts with members of the player development staff and players like Justin Edwards and Rayan Rupert.

    That facet of training camp — the ability to work with and impart knowledge to some of the younger players — has been a highlight for Brown so far.

    “A lot of them have shown me a lot of respect,” Brown said. “Ask me questions, or ask to jump in my workouts, and I’m welcome and I’m open to all of that, being a teacher. I was a guy who was always asking questions, so I appreciate it when the young guys are asking questions.”

    ‘Really tall’ Dean Wade is here to shoot the ball and help the Sixers defense

    It’s all part of an acclimation process that Brown said earlier this week was happening in “phases” as he moves from Boston to Philadelphia. In fact, he said, most of his things were arriving in Philadelphia on Thursday from Boston.

    “It took a lot to find a place, it wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t the easiest either,” Brown said.

    Part of moving is making sure his family is situated, including Brown’s 85-year-old grandfather.

    “I gotta pick and choose my battles with him,” Brown said with a smile. “He’s excited, but it is a bunch of little stuff that goes into just, not just making sure that I’m comfortable, but my family as well. Everybody around here has been super accommodating, so I’m grateful for that.”

    Among the most accommodating, Brown said, was guard Tyrese Maxey, who has gone out of his way to make sure Brown has been comfortable in his transition. Brown has taken note of the effort Maxey is putting in to make sure Brown and all the new Sixers feel at home, a sign of Maxey’s growing leadership as he enters year seven.

    “He’s overemphasized trying to make me feel comfortable, even if I didn’t need it,” Brown said. “He’s been a great host.”

    Like any profession, basketball players thrive most when they are comfortable on and off the court. The goings on of everyday life — the hassle of moving, making sure your family is OK — can filter into the workspace.

    So far, so good on that front though, Brown said, as the talent-loaded Sixers have been through three practices. The first two, coach Nick Nurse said, were heavy on scrimmages and defense, while Thursday was more of a “mental” and recovery day. Nurse spent the first two days working more on defense with Thursday being the first day they started installing some of the offense, like sets and out-of-bounds plays.

    Brown isn’t so worried about the Sixers coming together on the offensive end.

    “It won’t be as hard because we got so much talent,” Brown said.

    He echoed what several Sixers and Nurse said over the last week, which is that the defensive side is going to require more focus, given the need to play on a string and communicate.

    Tyrese Maxey calls Jaylen Brown a ‘freak of nature’ at start of Sixers training camp

    “Clear communication, identifying coverages and holding each other accountable,” Brown said. “Getting back on defense as well. So we’ve been working on that. That’ll be a part where, it’s just a whole new system, whole new calls. I gotta like, download my brain to a different algorithm to make sure I’m not calling the wrong stuff. Because the names are different.”

    Chalk that up as another adjustment from one team and city to the next.

    As Maxey said earlier in the week, it was “awkward,” but in a good way, seeing Brown in a Sixers jersey. It’s a process that is taking a lot of recalibration for everyone. Like for Nurse, who battled against Brown when he coached the Toronto Raptors and Sixers.

    “It looked the same as it looked coaching against him,” Nurse said Tuesday. “You’re out there and you’re looking at him and you say, ‘Man, this guy’s really tough. Really good.’”

    For Maxey and Embiid, who have been his rivals for years. For fans, who were used to disliking him in that Celtics green. And for Brown too, who has to re-wire his brain after 10 years of defensive calls with the Celtics. Just one of the many things that take getting used to in Philadelphia.

    “Some of the terminology, they use the same words, but it’s a whole different coverage,” Brown said. “… So you gotta be able to like, make sure I’m calling the right stuff. Make sure everybody’s on the same page. Make sure when we come out of the timeouts, out of the huddles, we all know what we’re in. We all know what we’re supposed to be doing.”

  • ‘Really tall’ Dean Wade is here to shoot the ball and help the Sixers defense

    ‘Really tall’ Dean Wade is here to shoot the ball and help the Sixers defense

    For the duration of Tyrese Maxey’s NBA career, Dean Wade was on the Cleveland Cavaliers, which meant Maxey and Wade shared the floor plenty over the last six years.

    But one quality of Wade didn’t stand out for Maxey until they got on the practice floor together.

    “I didn’t know he was this tall,” Maxey said. “You play against a guy two or three times a year, but you don’t really realize until you’re seeing somebody every day — he’s tall. He’s really tall.”

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    Wade, listed at 6-foot-9, will be utilizing that height off the bench to bolster the Sixers defense. His arrival from Cleveland was a part of the team’s plans before the Sixers traded for Jaylen Brown and landed LeBron James. Now that both Brown and James are here, Wade figures to be an ideal bench piece to complement this group. He’s a low-usage shooter, but someone who can knock down open threes (36.7% for his career), and he is a defensive standout who can take on a team’s best player, thanks in part to that height.

    “That’s what’s going to separate us on the defensive end, too, we have so many great defenders, great help side defenders and great on-ball defenders,” Wade said.

    Wade came to the Sixers thanks in part to his relationship in Cleveland with president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who previously served as the Cavaliers general manager. Gansey and Wade bonded early over their shared rivalries from the Big 12 (Gansey went to West Virginia, Wade Kansas State) and the undrafted Wade steadily carved out a role for himself with the Cavaliers with his commitment to defense.

    He credited two coaches of his there, Josh Broghamer and Chris Darnell, with instilling the value of defense in him — not just how defense could affect a team, but how he could help him find a role in the NBA. So he got in the weight room and kept developing his lateral quickness so he could stay in front of his man.

    “They were like, ‘The one thing that’s going to keep you on the floor is defense,’” Wade said. “‘You’re big. You move lateral, you’re quick enough that you can stay in front of people.’ And I think they’re like, ‘If you want to play, you want to stick in the NBA, you got to do that. You know, every team has scores, people that can create. You got to be different.’”

    The star-studded Sixers take their first steps, starting with a ‘vision’ presentation from Nick Nurse

    Wade, who averaged 5.8 points last season, said one of his goals this season on offense was to make sure he gave his teammates space to create and do their thing. He wouldn’t be hunting for his own shot. Maxey said he was going to encourage Wade to shoot more.

    “He’s also somebody who knows how to play a role, and he knows how to star in his role, too. He doesn’t deviate,” Maxey said. “[I’ll] be on him this year about shooting the ball. I want him to shoot a lot of threes. He can shoot the ball.”

    Dean Wade (45) during Sixers media day on Monday.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    When told what Maxey said, Wade flashed a smile, as if he has heard 1,000 times in his career that he has the green light to shoot the ball more.

    “They pay me to shoot the ball when I’m open and play defense, so I have to do that,” Wade said. “Coach [Nick Nurse] has been on me a few times already, so it’s something that I’ve been told before. It’s not like I hate it; it’s better to shoot than stop shooting, but it will come along when you get into the flow of games and getting repetition, and time with each other.”

    Among his initial impressions so far at camp, Wade said both Jaylen Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope think the game similarly to him, and he has also been impressed with the maturity of VJ Edgecombe, even though the second-year guard is only 21 years old.

    “I love the way he plays. I really do,” Wade said. “So anytime I get out there on his team, like I love it because man, he’s flying around in transition, making the right cuts. He’s sacrificing shots for people, and … he plays the right way.”

    Dealing with ‘noise’ part of Sixers season, even that from LeBron James’ helicopter

    Which sounds a lot like the way Wade plays.

    “I’ve been in the gym quite a bit with everyone,” Wade said. “The biggest thing coming in is being yourself. Especially, in training camp, just come out, be who you’re going to be all season and let everyone learn what you do.”

  • Dealing with ‘noise’ part of Sixers season, even that from LeBron James’ helicopter

    Dealing with ‘noise’ part of Sixers season, even that from LeBron James’ helicopter

    As Anfernee Simons was discussing the first day of training camp for the 76ers, the noise from outside the Sixers practice facility began getting louder.

    The sound of a helicopter mixed in with the soft-spoken responses from Simons, and there could not have been a more obvious metaphor for what awaits the Sixers this season. The external chatter, or noise, will be loud; the Sixers have to deal with it.

    The helicopter was there to whisk LeBron James away as he will split his time between Philadelphia and New York while at home this season. James himself acknowledged at media day Monday that his arrival comes with a lot of noise, noise that will be “doubled, tripled and quadrupled now that I’m here,” he said.

    LeBron James is here because of Tyrese Maxey. That says something about both of them.

    He wasn’t talking about actual decibel levels, but that also increased in the gym Tuesday.

    “Ultimate professional,” Simons said of James. “I think he’s built that for 20-plus years now. You hear the stories about him being here early, getting his work done, and saw that today. He was here already getting warmed up by the time I walked through the door. Just speaks to how he’s able to play like this for 24 years.”

    The helicopter was one part of what was hardly a typical practice day for the Sixers. Dozens of media members attended Tuesday with camera operators lined up in a small hallway just outside the practice courts, waiting for the door to open so they could rush at practice’s end to get the best spot to film interviews.

    But so many were present that the Sixers called an audible before coach Nick Nurse spoke post-practice and moved their media setup away from the corner of the facility to create more space for the assembled horde to circle around Nurse.

    “It’s going to be different,” Nurse said of the attention. “Just … more people, more eyes, more stories, more national TV, all that kind of stuff. I mean, it’s the same. It’s just a little more, right?”

    When the team let reporters in for the last few minutes to watch players go through individual workouts, James and some of the other big names, like Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown, had left the floor, a slight disappointment for those hoping to catch some B-roll of the stars working out.

    Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he understands the team will experience ups and downs. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    No one is under any illusions that the Sixers will be under the media and social media microscope, the kind of pressure cooker that examines every interaction and dissects body language looking for internal points of friction.

    “I’m just trying to get to the practice floor and to the game floor. If we can do those two things, all that other stuff, we just kind of handle it as smoothly as we can,” Nurse said. “We understand there’ll be some ups and downs. Let’s look out for each other. Let’s connect if there’s any bumpy stuff happening outside this wall, let’s get back in between the lines and let’s get to work.”

    To Simons, blocking out the proverbial noise means not letting the outside world define what the expectations are for this team.

    “Focus on our goals that we got inside this building,” Simons said. “Everybody’s gonna set outside expectations on us, but if we fulfill our own expectations that we set for ourselves, and focus on that, I think we’ll be fine.”

    Jaylen Brown adjusting in ‘phases’ to his new home with the Sixers

    As James pointed out this week, that will take “honest conversations” and “doing things that [are] uncomfortable.” He also mentioned how he spoke to Tyrese Maxey before joining the team and asked if he thought his personality would be a good fit with the franchise.

    “Because I understand my personality and what comes with me,” James said. “Sometimes it can be a negative. You know, I understand some people maybe can’t handle what I may bring to the table, and I was just … asking all the questions that I could ask to him.”

    As the helicopter noise faded, Simons finished his media session a few minutes later. The team took down its interview setup, and the gym was quiet. Day one of practice was in the books, a few hundred more to go.

  • Jaylen Brown adjusting in ‘phases’ to his new home with the Sixers

    Jaylen Brown adjusting in ‘phases’ to his new home with the Sixers

    Few NBA players ever go through an offseason like Jaylen Brown just had.

    After Brown had the best individual season of his career, the Celtics reportedly considered trading him to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. As the summer progressed, the Celtics ultimately decided now was the time to move off Brown, who had won a championship as a Finals MVP in his 10-year run with Boston.

    There was all kinds of dialogue about Brown, about his value as a player when it came to advanced statistics, or that the league might perceive him as too smart for his own good.

    Joel Embiid looks light, sounds optimistic about his new teammates and Sixers’ chances

    At media day Monday, Brown said he had an issue with all the anonymously sourced reports about his play or his character, and he singled out one that still irked him from national radio voice and Fox host Colin Cowherd.

    “What’s the word I want to use? I would say concerning, maybe a little bizarre, definitely some undertones there,” Brown said of some of the things being said about him. “Colin Cowherd said I had a disease, or his source said I had a disease. I don’t know what that was about.”

    LeBron James on how much Tyrese Maxey played a factor in his decision to choose Philly
    Video: LeBron James on how much Tyrese Maxey played a factor in his decision to choose Philly

    The 76ers, of course, were the prime benefactors of this drama, with Brown coming to Philadelphia in a July trade. That move tipped the scales in their favor in the pursuit of LeBron James, even if it may take some adjusting for his rivals-turned-teammates seeing him in these new threads.

    “Seeing [Brown] in Philly’s uniform in red, white, and blue is awkward,” Tyrese Maxey said. “But it’s good. He’s a good guy and he’s going to adapt quickly.”

    From left to right: Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey shown at Sixers media day on Monday.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Brown sounded as if he was still adjusting to this change of scenery. Last month, he threw a block party for the city of Boston, with thousands showing up to the event, which was a capstone for his Boston tenure and all he did in the city off the court.

    “It’s phases for sure,” Brown said. “It’s a mental side. It’s an emotional side. It’s a physical side. It’s a bunch of phases to just getting comfortable and getting set up. It’s an adjustment, it’s new. Every day is a day forward.”

    LeBron James on Philly sports fans: 'They know ball'
    Video: LeBron James on Philly sports fans: ‘They know ball’

    As Brown gets acclimated to his new surroundings, he said he will be focused on boosting the team defensively. That end of the floor is where “we should hang our hats as a team.”

    “Offensively, we’ve got a lot of firepower, but we’ve got to all hold each other accountable on defense,” Brown said. “So I’m looking forward to that. I’m looking forward to that challenge, but you know it’s going to take time. It’s going to take familiarity, getting used to the defensive systems and calls.”

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    That’s what practice is for, with Brown and his teammates all emphasizing that acclimating to each other would take time. Throughout media day and in their comments running up to it, the Sixers also said the season would require a lot of “sacrifice.” Brown’s teammate in Boston, Anfernee Simons, saying sacrifice was going to be the “word of the year.”

    To that end, Brown wasn’t feeling a question that centered on who was the team’s alpha, or if that was something that even mattered to this group of players. He responded with, “next question.”

    One question he did take time to answer was one that involved his championship pedigree, and if he can use that experience to infuse the Sixers.

    Jaylen Brown was introduced by the Sixers last month.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    “I’m not so sure if that’s true,” Brown said. “It’s a new group. I’m approaching this with an empty slate. Just coming in every single day and just trying to maximize every opportunity. Not taking anything for granted. I don’t have any, I wouldn’t say, expectation. …

    “I’m not so sure if things in the past will help you. They may. But there may be some stuff you have to figure out and do differently as well. I’m ready for either.”

  • Sixers mailbag: Biggest preseason question, glue guys, and one reader’s thoughts about Joel Embiid serving as sixth man

    Sixers mailbag: Biggest preseason question, glue guys, and one reader’s thoughts about Joel Embiid serving as sixth man

    The 76ers are just over two weeks away from opening training camp on the most anticipated season for perhaps any team in the league this season. Usually, the NBA takes a pause in August and September, but with the excitement from Jaylen Brown and LeBron James coming to Philadelphia, there’s been plenty to talk and write about to fill the space while everyone waits for the games to get going opening night, Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.

    As for me, I’m Chris Hine, the Inquirer’s new Sixers beat writer who will be covering the team in tandem with my good friend Gina Mizell. I spent the last eight seasons covering the Minnesota Timberwolves for the Minnesota Star Tribune, and I wrote a biography of their franchise player, Anthony Edwards.

    Just how much will the Sixers starting lineup have to sacrifice for one another? Here’s a look at the numbers.

    I’m a Pennsylvania native who grew up in West Pittston, which is close to Scranton. So I’m really excited to be moving back closer to home and excited to cover what promises to be an entertaining and potentially historic Sixers season. Let’s get to your questions!

    Q: What’s the Sixers’ single biggest issue heading into the season?” — (Bryan, @btoporek on BlueSky)

    A: To me, it’s having the combination of health and availability with this roster to play enough minutes together to develop the necessary chemistry to become a championship contender. That talent is there. That’s step one in building a title winner. But I’ve learned, in covering the Timberwolves up close through two conference finals runs, that identity, reps and chemistry matter a lot during the regular season. The habits and characteristics a team develops, or doesn’t, show up in April. It’s one reason why the Knicks won the title last year. That team knew each other, it played together, it had an identity it could lean on when things got tough deep into the playoffs. That came after playing together through multiple playoff runs.

    Getting LeBron James and his teammates enough regular season reps will be key come playoff time. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    The Sixers will have to figure things out in one season, which is doable, but they’ll need their projected starting five to play together as much as possible. Of course, in back-to-back games, nobody is expecting James or Joel Embiid to play many, if any, of those. But I really feel that getting enough repetition as a five-man unit is paramount to what this team will or won’t accomplish in April, especially against some Eastern Conference opponents who have had the benefit of continuity year over year, like the Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers.

    Q: What will the bench minutes look like? Will Nick [Nurse] go more than six deep in the playoffs? (@frantheman200 on BlueSky) and “Is there a role for Justin Edwards on this team?” — (@joephelan13 on Bluesky)

    A: I’ll take these two together since they’re related in my eyes. Let’s start with Edwards. One of the butterfly effects of James deciding to sign with the Sixers is more than a few people on the team’s pecking order, in terms of minutes and role, went down a tick. Dean Wade, who I think could be a huge part of this team’s success, went from projected starter to the bench. And now with the other newcomers, including Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Labaron Philon Jr., the numbers just aren’t adding up in Edwards’ favor. That’s already nine potential players in the rotation — and those names don’t include any backup centers. It seems like he’ll be swimming upstream for rotation minutes as of now. With anyone looking to crack NBA rotations, defense is the way to the floor. Defend well, and coaches will usually find a way to get you out there.

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    As for the first part of this question, it’s hard to say as of now, and I imagine that’s something we’ll piece together as we get to speak with Nurse in training camp and hear his vision for some of the blended lineups he may have in mind with the starters. Wade should and will likely play a big role, Simons can provide microwave scoring, Caldwell-Pope has the championship pedigree and familiarity with James from their time in Los Angeles, along with the motivation that he still has something left in the tank at 33 years old.

    In the playoffs, it’s going to be tempting for Nurse to stick with a tightened rotation, though, especially if the starting five can defend at a higher level than some analysts anticipate. Even coaches with supposedly deep teams sometimes get a little tense in going multiple guys into their bench when everything is on the line.

    Q: In 1986, the Celtics made the always injured center Bill Walton the sixth man. He helped win a title and he won the sixth man award. Instead of wondering what nights Embiid can play, why not move him to sixth man? This way your starting five knows their roles, and he gives you instant offense off the bench. — (@tomg18 on Bluesky)

    A: This is the kind of outside-the-box thinking we like in mailbag questions! Well, let’s start off by saying that this is an unrealistic scenario for someone like Embiid. Another thing I’ve learned in eight seasons covering the NBA, starting matters to players. It’s a source of pride and a sign of status, essentially, to say you’re a starter. Suggesting someone move to the bench can be a massive blow to that player’s ego, and a coach has to handle any such move with care.

    Sixers center Joel Embiid could be asked to make major changes to his game to make room for LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    If this ever happened with Embiid and the Sixers, it’d be the top story on all the ESPN talk shows for two weeks. But I think what you’re getting at here is Embiid taking on a reduced role, while not coming off the bench. That’s something that could make sense given the roster construction and efforts to preserve Embiid for the long haul. Having him play 25-30 minutes per night — especially if those minutes are with the other starters — and having him available for more games, is better than playing him a usual complement of minutes that risks wearing him out or injuring him. Better to cut back his minutes a bit first before ever considering asking him to come off the bench.

    Q: Who are the best candidates for low usage glue guys with the new roster? Someone like KCP or one of the younger guys? — (@bremerdangorst on BlueSky)

    A: Wade fits this. He hasn’t had a usage rate above 12.9% in his career, according to Basketball Reference. He can be a defensive contributor who cedes usage to those main scorers on the floor with him at the same time. As you said, KCP can also be this model of player (career-high usage rate of 19.5%). They seem to fit the profile of the exact kind of bench contributors a team like this needs.

    The Sixers’ star-studded lineup could mean big things for Tyrese Maxey’s three-point shooting
  • Just how much will the Sixers starting lineup have to sacrifice for one another? Here’s a look at the numbers.

    Just how much will the Sixers starting lineup have to sacrifice for one another? Here’s a look at the numbers.

    In the wake of the 76ers’ monumental offseason, one concern that players have already started addressing in various statements is, “How much are players going to sacrifice?”

    Having as much talent as the Sixers have on their roster naturally leads to questions about roles and shot distribution, since there’s only one ball to go around.

    Landing Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the same offseason will of course invite skeptics who doubt the fit and wonder whether everyone’s games can mesh. But this is a champagne problem in the NBA. Most teams would be lucky to have this as one of its main issues heading into training camp.

    New Sixer Jaylen Brown acknowledged that his team will need to sacrifice. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    “Obviously it’s a lot of guys with talent,” Brown said last month. “It’s egos, but to win, you got to be able to sacrifice, be able to have trust and communication.”

    Along those lines, here’s a look at how the Sixers might address that through the lens of a statistic that measures how often a player consumes his team’s possessions, usage rate, which measures how often a team’s possessions ends with either a shot, free throws or a turnover from a particular player when he is on the floor.

    A glance at the starting five

    First, here were the individual usage rates last season (according to NBA.com) for each player in the projected starting five, and where they ranked in the league.

    • Tyrese Maxey: 28.6% (27th)
    • VJ Edgecombe: 19.6% (181st)
    • Jaylen Brown: 35.1% (third)
    • LeBron James: 26.2% (47th)
    • Joel Embiid: 33.6% (sixth)

    Potential paths forward

    Quick addition will show all those percentages equal 143.1 when they need to equal closer to 100 (since not everyone will always be playing together at the same time). In some lineup combinations, and in games in which Embiid and/or James don’t play, that’ll be the time for Maxey, Edgecombe and Brown to have higher usage stretches than they would have when everyone is healthy. But when all five are healthy and on the floor, likely everyone is going to have to sacrifice to make the usage pie work.

    Five key stats to remember as the Sixers enter a season with title hopes

    James has already indicated with his play that this is where he is headed in his career, and perhaps why general manager Mike Gansey has been hyping up James’ ability to be a connector.

    James’ usage actually hit a career low last season, as he ceded more scoring opportunities in the Los Angeles Lakers offense to Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic. This worked for the Lakers, who were playing well before Reaves and Doncic got hurt later in the season. James averaged 7.2 assists, so having him lean more into a connector and creator role in the Sixers’ offense is a prime way for the offense to generate shots naturally when the starting five is on the floor.

    This could allow Maxey to play more frequently off the ball, where he can be efficient from three-point range.

    Looking at Brown’s numbers

    Another obvious place to look for decreased usage is Brown, who saw a spike in that statistic with Jayson Tatum out for the majority of last season for the Boston Celtics. Brown went from 28.2% the prior season to his 35.1% mark last year (he attempted four more shots, averaged 2.4 free throws and one more turnover per game).

    The Sixers’ star-studded lineup could mean big things for Tyrese Maxey’s three-point shooting

    Brown returning to a usage level similar to what he had playing alongside Tatum makes sense, considering he won’t have to shoulder the burden of heavy shot creation playing alongside Maxey, Embiid and James. How he adjusts his game to the roster around him is one of the more interesting questions of the early part of the Sixers season and could go a long way to determining just what this team looks like.

    A load off Embiid’s shoulders, and legs

    The potential path to Embiid’s role on the team may lie in his 2024 Olympics experience playing with James. There, Embiid took on a reduced role on Team USA’s path to the gold medal.

    Joel Embiid served as a role player on the Team USA win in the 2024 Olympics. AFP via Getty Images

    The offense doesn’t have to run through him when he’s on the floor, especially if the Sixers are going to utilize one of the strengths of this roster — getting out in transition. This could serve a dual purpose in freeing up shots for the rest of the lineup while allowing Embiid to avoid accumulating as much wear and tear game to game.

    Getting out in transition

    The Sixers have four of the top 15 scorers in transition from a season ago. One way to get everyone his fill of shots is to play fast and have more possessions. If the Sixers commit to playing that way some of the usage issues will take care of themselves. Inevitably, there will still be things to figure out in the halfcourt, especially when it comes to who is taking what shots late in close games.

    That will take time to sort through. But the Sixers, in their comments so far this summer, have indicated they know the challenge ahead, and so far, they seem willing to tackle it head on instead of avoiding it.

  • Sixers sign Dillon Jones to bolster training camp roster, potentially compete for two-way spot

    Sixers sign Dillon Jones to bolster training camp roster, potentially compete for two-way spot

    As training camp nears, the 76ers have added to their list of training camp invitees, with the latest coming in Dillon Jones.

    Jones will join the Sixers on an exhibit 10 contract, a source said. That contract will allow him to come to camp and compete for one of the remaining two-way roster spots the Sixers have open.

    The Oklahoma City Thunder took Jones, 24, with the 26th pick of the 2024 draft, and he spent his first season in Oklahoma City. A 6-foot-5 forward, he averaged 10.2 minutes and 2.5 points in 54 games. He also appeared in 10 games that postseason as the Thunder won the championship.

    Sixers add three players in advance of training camp, including Jameer Nelson Jr.

    Last summer, the Thunder traded him to the Wizards, who waived him before the start of the season. Jones ended up signing a two-way contract with the New York Knicks in January and appeared in seven games with the franchise.

    Jones will likely be in the mix for a two-way contract with the Sixers, who have Rayan Rupert and Caleb Love as two of their allotted three two-way deals. A two-way contract doesn’t count toward a team’s total on the salary cap but players on two-way deals can’t participate in the playoffs.

    Jones joins other training camp invitees the Sixers announced last week that included Jameer Nelson Jr., the son of Sixers general manager Jameer Nelson, Saint Thomas and veteran center Tacko Fall.

    Jones played in college for four years at Weber State, where he averaged 20.9 points in his senior year.

  • Ariana Andonian leaving the Blue Coats to become Los Angeles Sparks general manager

    Ariana Andonian leaving the Blue Coats to become Los Angeles Sparks general manager

    The WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks have plucked their new general manager from the 76ers front office.

    The Sparks are hiring Blue Coats general manager Ariana Andonian for the role, a source confirmed.

    Andonian came to the Sixers under former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. Though she’s only 31 years old, she has had an extensive career working in college and the NBA, including stints under Morey with the Sixers and under Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman. She also consulted for Duke’s program while earning a graduate degree from the school, according to an Inquirer profile of Andonian from 2025.

    Five key stats to remember as the Sixers enter a season with title hopes

    The job will bring Andonian, a Los Angeles native who grew up a Lakers and Kobe Bryant fan, closer to home. Andonian first met Morey while in college at Southern Cal when she gave his daughter a tour of the USC campus and later joined the family for lunch.

    After that meeting, Andonian earned an internship with the Houston Rockets when Morey was the general manager there. She began as a scout and was coordinating the team’s college scouting group by age 23. A 2017 story from Bleacher Report cited her as the league’s only female scout at the time.

    Andonian’s career went from there to Duke, where she led the team’s high school scouting group while completing her MBA. She cites former coach Mike Krzyzewski and current coach Jon Scheyer as mentors.

    “It was almost like I had to tell her when she had to stop watching video,” Morey told The Inquirer of Andonian in 2025. “ … She picked up things quick and fit into a group.”