- The Sixers have underperformed relative to preseason expectations this year, but the dynamic between All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons may not be the root of the issue, per ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry. Goldsberry points to their club’s unending roster churn over the years and a lack of sharpshooting depth as the prime culprits. That said, at 35-22, the Sixers sit just 1.5 games behind the 36-20 Heat in competing for a top-four Eastern Conference playoff seed.
Sixers star Ben Simmons left Saturday’s game after five minutes with a sore back and will undergo an MRI today to determine the nature of the problem, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. League sources tell Woj there is “some level of concern” about the situation.
Simmons sat out Thursday with lower back pain, then aggravated the injury midway through the first quarter last night. He had an X-ray after leaving the game, and sources said he was “emotional” as he walked out of the X-ray room.
Losing Simmons for an extended stretch would be a huge setback for the Sixers as they fight for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Philadelphia is 35-22 after Saturday’s loss in Milwaukee, a game-and-a-half behind fourth-place Miami.
Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists through 54 games. He also leads the NBA in steals at 2.1 per night.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown explained his plan for Alec Burks, who made his first real impact for Philadelphia on Thursday night against the Nets.
“I’m looking at him is sort of instant offense type off the bench he can be given the ball can be put in pick-and-rolls,” Brown said (via Heavy.com). “I like him more probably in the middle of the floor with the pick and roll than the sideline with the pick-and-roll I think that he can be a primary ball carrier for a while.”
Burks, who came to the Sixers along with Glenn Robinson III at the trade deadline, has spent 44 minutes on the court so far in his Sixers’ career.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Villanova head coach Jay Wright simply isn’t interested in the Knicks‘ coaching job, as Joe Juliano of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). “I haven’t talked to the Knicks, I’m not going to the Knicks. It’s crazy,” Wright said.
- Ben Simmons is probable for the Sixers‘ matchup with Milwaukee on Saturday night, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Simmons missed Thursday’s contest against Brooklyn with back tightness.
- Zach Braziller of the New York Post details how interim coach Mike Miller is handling the situation with the Knicks. “If we help these guys and we continue to grow and get better, then we’ve done our job,” Miller said. “All I’m concerned about is bringing value to it and helping these guys. As simple as it sounds, I did that for six years as a D-League [and] G-League coach and I felt good at the end of every season. That’s the direction that I take.”
Following a wild 2019 offseason, the NBA has been in a period of relative stability for the last several months. However, there are a number of tipping points on tap for the 2020 postseason and offseason that could re-inject some chaos into the basketball landscape, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com.
According to Bontemps, people around the league will be keeping an especially close eye on teams like the Rockets and Sixers, who will be looking to make deep playoff runs after falling short of their goals in recent years. If those two teams are eliminated early in the postseason, it’s possible major changes could be made, with Mike D’Antoni and Brett Brown potentially on the way out and roster shakeups around the corner.
League insiders will also be curious to see whether the Warriors look to use their 2020 lottery pick as the centerpiece in a trade for another impact player, Bontemps writes. Most notably, all eyes will be on Milwaukee as Giannis Antetokounmpo decides whether to sign a super-max extension with the Bucks. For what it’s worth, Bontemps says every executive he spoke to expects Antetokounmpo to remain in Milwaukee.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA forward Donatas Motiejunas said he has drawn interest from some NBA and EuroLeague teams, per Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link). However, Motiejunas remains under contract with the Shanghai Sharks during the Chinese Basketball Association’s coronovirus-related hiatus and isn’t looking to get out of that deal.
- Lucas Nogueira, a former first-round pick who spent four seasons in the NBA with the Raptors, has signed with Muharraq Club in Bahrain, according to the team (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando). The 16th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Nogueira appeared in 141 games for Toronto between 2014-18.
- Chris Bosh took to Instagram to express his disappointment after not being included in 2020’s list of finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Timberwolves assigned Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman and Jarred Vanderbilt to their affiliate in Iowa, the team announced in a press release. All three were acquired two weeks ago in deals at the trade deadline, with Evans and Spellman coming from the Warriors and Vanderbilt being obtained from the Nuggets.
- The Hornets assigned Dwayne Bacon to their Greensboro affiliate, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
- The Nets assigned Nicolas Claxton to Long Island, according to the G League transactions log.
Also on the transactions log:
- The Knicks assigned Ignas Brazdeikis to Westchester.
- The Jazz sent Miye Oni to Salt Lake City.
- The Sixers assigned Zhaire Smith to Delaware.
Ben Simmons, who spoke in November about wanting to play for Australia in the 2020 Olympics under Sixers head coach Brett Brown, is looking to bring one of his NBA teammates with him. As Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports Australia details, Simmons said over the weekend that he’s confident rookie swingman Matisse Thybulle will play for the Boomers this summer in Tokyo.
Thybulle, the Sixers’ first-round pick last June, is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. He has yet to make a decision regarding his international status, but playing for Australia would create a much clearer path to being a part of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
“I can’t say I’ve put too much thought into which one I’d like to go to, which (opportunity) I’d like to take,” the Sixers rookie said last week, per Uluc. “But I think this season is going to be a good opportunity to showcase myself and figure out what opportunities I have at the end of the season.”
As the Sixers have struggled to maintain offensive consistency this season, the dynamic between Philadelphia’s top two players, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons has received some scrutiny.
During NBA All-Star media day on Saturday, Embiid addressed the chatter that he and Simmons struggle to co-exist.
“I think it’s B.S. because when you look at the last couple years, the last two years we’ve been playing together, it was not a problem,” Embiid said, via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). “The issue is only a problem because at times our offense has struggled. I think it’s definitely going to be better after the All-Star break.”
Entering the All-Star break, the Sixers wield a 34-21 record, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Simmons and Embiid, meanwhile, are enjoying typically strong individual seasons.
Embiid, now a three-time All-Star, is averaging 22.9 PPG and 11.9 RPG through 39 contests. Both numbers are down from last season, however, as he has battled some injuries. As for Simmons, he’s averaging 16.9 PPG, 8.3 APG, 7.9 RPG and an NBA-best 2.2 SPG. While the rotation for Philadelphia needs to find consistency, Simmons insists that coexisting alongside Embiid is not an issue.
“It takes time, not everything is supposed to be perfect. We’re two different people trying to figure it out,” Simmons said during his media session (via Mark Media of USA Today). “I love playing with Joel, I think he’s an amazing talent and I respect his game. I know he feels the same way about me so as long as we continue to strive and go the right way, we’ll be fine.”
Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the league’s reverse standings down the stretch because of the effect they’ll have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2020 first round.
However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second round, and an early second-round pick can be nearly as valuable as a first-rounder.
Traded first-round selections like the one the Grizzlies are sending to the Celtics will ultimately be more valuable than any second-rounder, but it’s still worth taking a closer look at some traded 2020 second-rounders that project to be valuable picks.
[RELATED: Traded Second-Round Picks For 2020 NBA Draft]
Here are a few of those traded picks:
From: Golden State Warriors
To: Dallas Mavericks
Current projection: No. 31
This traded pick dates all the way back to the 2016 offseason, when the Mavericks acquired it along with Andrew Bogut. That deal gave them the option to eventually receive either the Warriors’ 2019 or 2020 second-rounder.
Dallas faced a little criticism at the time for helping Golden State clear the cap room necessary to sign Kevin Durant, but if the Mavs hadn’t done it, another team would have. Now they’ll benefit from the end of the Warriors’ dynasty, potentially acquiring the best non-first-round pick of the 2020 draft.
From: Cleveland Cavaliers
To: Charlotte Hornets
Current projection: No. 32
The Cavaliers first traded this pick to Orlando at the trade deadline in 2016 to acquire Channing Frye. It was later traded from the Magic to the Clippers, who eventually sent it to Charlotte on draft night in 2018.
The pick was one of two future second-rounders L.A. surrendered to move up a single spot in the lottery to draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 11 in ’18.
Considering the Cavs won a title with Frye and the Clippers eventually used Gilgeous-Alexander to acquire Paul George – and, indirectly, Kawhi Leonard – I don’t think either team is losing sleep about giving up this selection, but it’ll be a nice asset for the Hornets this spring.
From: Atlanta Hawks
To: Philadelphia 76ers
Current projection: No. 33
From: New York Knicks
To: Philadelphia 76ers
Current projection: No. 35
Philadelphia sent three second-round picks to the Warriors at the deadline for Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, but did well to hang onto these selections, both of which could fall in the top 35 this spring.
The Sixers received both of these picks in deals that saw their trade partners move up in the second round to nab big men. The Knicks’ second-rounder was sent to Philadelphia in a 2015 deal for No. 35 pick Willy Hernangomez, while the Hawks’ second-rounder changed hands in last June’s swap for No. 34 pick Bruno Fernando.
From: Detroit Pistons
To: Sacramento Kings
Current projection: No. 36
This pick has been involved in two trades, neither of which worked out particularly well for the Suns. It was all Phoenix received in return for Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock, and Danny Granger in a cost-cutting trade during the 2015 offseason. Then it was part of the package the Suns sent to the Kings for 2016’s No. 8 pick, Marquese Chriss.
The two 2016 first-round picks the Kings got that in that Chriss trade (Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere) didn’t pan out for Sacramento. However, the package also included the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic, making it a big win for the Kings. This year’s second-round pick is just an added bonus.
For Norvel Pelle, earning a standard contract with the Sixers took several years of hard work, dedication and passion, as the 27-year-old spent much of his professional career playing in the G League and in international leagues.
Pelle, who made his NBA debut this past November, took a rather unique path to the Association. Rather than attending college, he joined the NBAGL’s Delaware 87ers (now the Delaware Blue Coats) in the fall of 2013. He showed some promise as a 20-year-old, averaging 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 13.1 minutes per contest, but went undrafted in 2014.
Pelle would test his luck by signing in Taiwan later that summer before returning to the G League with Delaware in March of 2015. He appeared in four games during that second NBAGL stint and signed in Lebanon to end the year, seeking a sense of stability in his young, budding career. Pelle subsequently joined the Heat for two summer league stints, attempted a third overseas stint in Italy, then made a fourth trip to join Auxilium Torino in early 2018.
It was around that time when Pelle, a 6’10” defensive specialist, began to make a name for himself. He was added to Philadelphia’s 2018 summer league team and received his first invitation to training camp, spending the rest of the season in Delaware and a final overseas stint in Lebanon.
Unbeknownst to fans, the 76ers were keeping close tabs on Pelle as he continued to develop and improve throughout the 2018/19 season, eventually earning a spot on the G League’s All-Defensive team. Philadelphia decided to offer Pelle a two-way contract last July, with general manager Elton Brand showing a level of trust in the big man that other lead decision-makers hadn’t.
“That made me feel real good,” Pelle told Hoops Rumors in a phone interview.
Brand had a successful 17-year NBA career in his own right, going first overall in the 1999 draft and earning a pair of All-Star berths. Having Brand recognize his improvement was an important step for Pelle.
“We’ve gotten close, where I could just call him up and talk to him [if need be],” Pelle said of the Sixers’ GM. “It’s just amazing.”
Pelle accepted Philadelphia’s two-way contract offer, entering training camp last fall having improved significantly since attending camp with the team a year earlier. His progress made a strong impression with coaches and teammates alike, and he continued to make strides in the preseason. After all, playing alongside the likes of Al Horford and Joel Embiid — all while having Brand as the team’s GM — is sure to have a positive influence on a big man’s arsenal. Pelle’s focus on improving his touch and strength during the offseason paid off, earning respect from Horford, Embiid, and others.
“You get motivated competing against them every day,” Pelle said. “Al’s been in the league for so long, Joel’s been dominant over these years. It motivates me to just want to keep working.”
Pelle did exactly that, working tirelessly on his two-way deal this season. Earning that contract was a notable milestone, yes, but Pelle had his sights set on something greater: earning a standard contract with the franchise. Fast forward to early February, just after the trade deadline, and Pelle received the phone call he’s always dreamed of — the Sixers wanted to turn his two-way contract into a traditional, multiyear NBA contract, guaranteeing his salary for the remainder of the season.
“It definitely brings out a lot of feelings,” Pelle said of signing his first standard contract. “I tried to do something that I wanted to accomplish, and I accomplished it. Now it’s just about longevity — playing a long time in the league.”
Back in September, a member of the media asked Pelle what his primary goal was coming into the season. His response was fitting, short and sweet.
“To get better day by day,” Pelle said. “You know, learn from the people that have been in the league for a long time. Contribute to a championship.”
Pelle has unique athletic capabilities and defensive skills that are highly coveted by NBA teams. He leads all rookies in blocks per game (1.4), despite averaging just over 10 minutes per game. His rate of 5.0 blocks per 36 minutes is easily tops among players who have logged at least 150 minutes this season (Daniel Gafford is second at 3.6). Pelle has also chipped in 2.5 PPG and 3.4 RPG on 59% shooting. He remains a student of the game, soaking up as much information as possible from Horford, Embiid, and Philadelphia’s other vets.
Horford came off the bench at center for the first time on Tuesday, and if the Sixers stick with their new lineup going forward, Pelle’s path to more playing time could become challenging. But he remains a talented defensive player with high upside, possessing the necessary tools to be a handful for defenses around the rim, a threat for alley-oops, and a physical screen-setter on offense.
“Just high energy off the bench, blocking, shots, protecting the rim,” Pelle said of what he brings to the team. “Just an actual spark. I feel like that’s really what my role on this team is, to just come in for however long I’m in for and provide a quick burst of energy — a quick spark.”
There’s no question that earning a standard NBA contract was an important breakthrough for Pelle, but it hardly represents the end of his journey. His salary for 2020/21 becomes guaranteed if he’s still on the roster beyond July 6, and those closest to him not only insist that his hunger remains — they’re adamant it has increased.
“This season has been amazing,” Pelle said. “It’s like a dream come true. Everything that’s happened, every experience as far as being in the NBA — it’s just been amazing.
“The next step is to keep growing as an individual, both on and off the court. It’s just soaking up as much information as I can throughout the years, however long I stay in the league. Just keep soaking up information each year, learn something new. It doesn’t have to be Hall or Fame or nothing — just to know that Norvel Pelle did this is great.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Al Horford wasn’t in the starting lineup last night for the first time since his rookie season, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Sixers coach Brett Brown met with Horford on Monday to explain the lineup change, which included starting Furkan Korkmaz at small forward and shifting Tobias Harris to power forward. Horford said he’s willing to accept his new role, even though it’s not what he expected when he signed a four-year, $109MM deal with Philadelphia last summer.
“Obviously, not the position that I saw myself in, but it’s what was best for the team,” he said after the game. ” … I honestly don’t think it changes much from what I was doing before.”
Although Horford seemed like an ideal candidate to play alongside Joel Embiid, the two big men haven’t been able to get their games to mesh, adds Bontemps, who suggests that Horford now faces the possibility of being on the bench in the closing minutes of playoff games.
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Josh Richardson‘s absence has been an overlooked reason for the Sixers’ recent slump, Bontemps adds in the same piece. Richardson returned to the starting lineup Tuesday for the first time since a hamstring injury on January 22 and posted a plus-24 rating in 31 minutes.
- Embiid’s ongoing drama with Philly fans continued as he was booed during introductions for the third consecutive game, but he got them cheering with a 26-point, nine-rebound performance, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “We are all human beings. If I can take it, then everybody else can take it, too,” Embiid said. “We learn from it and we move on. I got to do a better job. They got to do a better job. I understand where they come from. But then again, if you dish it, you got to be able to take it back. But at the end of the day in my location … it’s all love.”
- Landry Shamet was angry when he learned that he had been traded from the 76ers to the Clippers last season, but he quickly got over it, relays Mark Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Shamet, who returned to Philadelphia last night for the first time since the deal, was having a strong rookie season for the Sixers before being included in the package L.A. received in exchange for Harris. “You realize you have been traded and you have to move so it was kind of a roller coaster at first, but once you get settled, especially once I got that first game under my belt, I realized the makeup of the team and where I was and realized it was a good situation,” Shamet said.