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Sixers Notes: Milton, Trade Deadline, Harden, Embiid

December 24th, 2022 at 2:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers guard Shake Milton, a free agent in 2023, proved critical in helping Philadelphia stay afloat in November without its starting backcourt of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. He has remained an important role player for the club even with Harden back in the lineup, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

“I remember early in my career there used to be highs and lows,” Milton told Fischer. “You never really know what it feels like until you’re in it… You gotta fight internally every day to make sure you’re in a good spot, make sure you’re putting yourself in the best place to succeed. It definitely took me my years to kind of go through that, to know how to move and how to stay with it.”

This season, the 6’5″ combo guard out of SMU is averaging 11.2 PPG on .509/.361/.849 shooting splits for the Sixers across 27 games. He is also contributing 3.4 APG and 3.3 RPG.

There’s more out of the City of Brotherly Love:

Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer provides a Sixers trade deadline primer, exploring which players could be moved. Mizell notes that, following an injury-plagued and uneven start to the season, Philadelphia has stabilized into looking like a deep championship contender. The team is currently fifth in the East with a 19-12 record. Still, the club could look into upgrading its frontcourt reserves behind starters Joel Embiid and P.J. Tucker, and could perhaps seek a more traditional backup guard behind starters Harden and Maxey.
Sixers All-Stars Embiid and Harden are beginning to truly click as a dynamic duo in their first full season together, writes Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. “Constant work, constant work,” Harden said of how the two have been working to thrive together. “Talking about it, communication, go out there, do it… Obviously, you want to see each other succeed, so if I ask him something or tell him something and vice versa, he’ll do it.”
In their eight contests together since Harden returned from injury, Embiid is posting averages of 36.1 PPG while shooting 56% from the floor, along with 9.9 RPG and 3.8 APG, per Neubeck. “As soon as [the opposing team goes] to the switching, what we’ve gotten better at is just the timing,” Embiid said. “Knowing when he gets the iso, or I get the ball at the elbow, or I go to the post, that’s where we’ve gotten at. Just the timing, us working together, always talking, and he’s been great. Been on him about taking more catch-and-shoot, and he’s been doing that.”
Can the Sixers emerge out of the Eastern Conference? Weigh in on today’s Community Shootaround.

Sixers Notes: Melton, Maxey, Tucker, Harden

December 23rd, 2022 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

When the Sixers gave up a first-round pick and Danny Green‘s expiring contract for De’Anthony Melton, they knew they were getting a strong defender who could make a three-point shot, but the former Grizzlies guard has given them “more connective tissue in the half court” than they might have expected, writes ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link).

Melton’s play-making and screening ability has been valuable for Philadelphia, according to Lowe, who notes that the team has scored an average of 1.2 points when a Melton screen leads directly to a shot. That’s 17th among 244 players who have set 50 such screens, Lowe writes, citing Second Spectrum. The 24-year-old has also handed out a career-best 3.3 assists per game.

Melton’s presence has helped the 76ers withstand injury absences for James Harden and Tyrese Maxey in the early part of the 2022/23 season. Despite not opening the season as part of Philadelphia’s starting five, Melton has made 20 starts in 27 appearances so far.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Given how well the 76ers have played with Melton in the starting lineup (they have a 13-7 record in those games), there has been some speculation about the possibility of bringing Maxey off the bench as the leader of the second unit when he returns from his foot injury. Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com considers the case for making such a move, but ultimately concludes that it’s probably not in the team’s best interest.
In his latest mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey also argues against making Maxey the sixth man once he’s healthy. Pompey’s mailbag explores several other topics, including whether the Sixers’ three-year, $33MM+ investment in P.J. Tucker will turn out as poorly as the four-year, $109MM deal they gave Al Horford in 2019 — given the relative size of the two deals, Pompey believes there’s no comparison between the two, especially since Horford was never a good fit, while Tucker is beginning to show overall improvement in his role.
In his first seven games back from a foot injury, Harden has averaged nearly 39 minutes per night. However, head coach Doc Rivers isn’t concerned about the former MVP’s heavy recent workload, per Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’ll guarantee you, by the end of the year, you’ll look at his numbers and they’ll look great,” Rivers said. “It’s a whole year. That’s why we can’t overdo things when guys have a three-week spike in minutes and all of a sudden we’re overreacting to that. You don’t. We’ve been low on guards, and so guys have to play minutes. And James is one of those guys that can handle minutes. But by the end of the year, his minutes will be down.”

Atlantic Notes: Harden, Harris, Sixers, R. Williams, Raptors

December 17th, 2022 at 3:41pm CST by Rory Maher

James Harden says he was at a “low point” after the Sixers were eliminated in last season’s playoffs by the Heat. Being traded twice in two seasons, dealing with significant injuries, and a couple of tough playoff losses left him “drained and deflated,” according to Yaron Weitzman of FoxSports.com.

“The whole two years was a low point. I’ve never really had to deal with something like that,” Harden told Weitzman recently. “My body, mentally, physically … It was a lot going on. I mean, basketball is everything to me.”

The former MVP guard discussed a number of topics with Weitzman, including his reluctance to do interviews (“People will take the smallest thing that I say and basically screw it up and then it becomes a problem“), his desire to have his career be remembered in a positive light (“I’m one of the people that changed the game of basketball. Honestly, the only thing that I’m missing is a championship“), his offseason work to avoid future injuries, acclimating with the Sixers, adjusting his game as he gets older and plays alongside another ball-dominant star in Joel Embiid, and his relationship with the back-to-back MVP runner-up, among others.

When asked about his struggles in playoff elimination games, Harden admits his results have been mixed — but says it’s not entirely on him.

“I’ve had a few bad games in close-out games. Not all of them have been bad,” he said. “Quite frankly, a lot of the times our team wasn’t good enough to compete for championships, if you want to be honest. There’s only so much I can do.”

Weitzman’s feature is worth checking out in full if you’re interested in Harden’s career.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

Sixers forward Tobias Harris was ruled out for Friday’s victory over the Warriors due to back pain, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was Harris’ third missed game of the season, and it’s unclear what his status is going forward.
In another story for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey writes that the city’s Chinatown residents continue to be adamantly opposed to the Sixers‘ arena proposal, and recently voiced their displeasure at a contentious meeting. “People are very frustrated about the developer continuing to promote their proposal without thinking about Chinatown people’s anger,” said Wei Chen, the civic engagement director of AAU.
Celtics big man Robert Williams made his 2022/23 season debut in Friday’s loss to Orlando. As Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays (via Twitter), Williams admits he was a little nervous before the game. “I felt great. The nerves were getting me pretty bad before the game. We (bleeping) lost. We gotta bounce back from that,” he said.
The Raptors have fallen to 13-16 after dropping Friday’s nail-biter to the Nets. According to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star, the team’s front office is displeased with the up-and-down start to the season, and are keeping a close eye on how players respond while evaluating the roster ahead of February’s trade deadline.

Nets Notes: Irving, Harden, Durant, Vaughn, Curry

December 17th, 2022 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

After being described by head coach Jacque Vaughn on Wednesday as “extremely engaged” as of late (link via Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post), Nets guard Kyrie Irving made the first game-winning buzzer beater of his career on Friday in Toronto, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN.

Although Irving’s game-winner improved the Nets’ record to 11-3 since he returned from an eight-game suspension, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic remains hesitant to call Brooklyn a legitimate contender, suggesting that next week’s games against Milwaukee and Cleveland should help create a clearer picture of where the team stands in the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Still, the Nets appear to be hitting their stride after a slow start to the season.

With the Nets on the rise and Irving’s future beyond this season uncertain, there’s a sense around the NBA that the club could be in the market for win-now upgrades prior to the February trade deadline, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. One league scout who spoke to Bulpett said that Brooklyn should be looking to add more frontcourt help.

“Their biggest problem is they can’t defend and can’t rebound,” the scout said. “They don’t have enough size. They just get beat on. They need somebody who can command the lane. In today’s game, they’re not letting you take hard fouls, so you’ve got to have someone who can block a shot.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Within a feature on James Harden, Yaron Weitzman of FoxSports.com cites multiple Nets sources who say that Harden and Kevin Durant “butted heads” last season when both players were in Brooklyn. According to Weitzman, Durant didn’t think Harden was in top physical shape and told him so, while Harden “struggled to adjust to an ecosystem where everything was no longer catered to him.” Harden also became frustrated with the approach the Nets training staff took to maintenance, rest, and recovery, and tells Weitzman he felt like there was “no structure” in Brooklyn.
Here’s more from Harden on his exit from Brooklyn, via Weitzman: “I just feel like, internally, things weren’t what I expected when I was trying to get traded there. I think everybody knows that. And I knew people were going to talk and say, ‘You quit’ and all that stuff, but then the following summer, the other superstar there (Durant) wanted to leave. So it’s like: Am I still the quitter?”
Vaughn, who has a 16-7 record since replacing Steve Nash as the Nets’ head coach, is winning over Durant, Sanchez writes for The New York Post. The superstar forward stated earlier in the week that Vaughn is doing a “great job” making in-game adjustments and has handled the team’s injury absences well. “I’ve liked the brand of basketball we’ve played on both ends of the floor,” Durant said. “Regardless of who is on the court, we still played our system.”
Nets guard Seth Curry received an MRI on his injured hamstring on Thursday before being cleared for Friday’s game in Toronto, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Vaughn suggested that the MRI was merely precautionary. “We MRI everything now, we do an MRI every time,” he said.
In a pair of features for NetsDaily, Matthew Brooks explained how the Nets are continuing to prioritize the development of their young players while contending for a title and took a closer look at Vaughn’s unique approach to practices and shootarounds.

Sixers Notes: Melton, Rivers, Harden, Embiid

December 10th, 2022 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

De’Anthony Melton had his best game since joining the Sixers – and arguably the best game of his career – on Friday night. The fifth-year guard established new career bests by scoring 33 points, making eight 3-pointers, and racking up seven steals in Philadelphia’s overtime victory over the Lakers.

As Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com writes, Melton was a difference-maker in a game the 76ers almost gave away and continues to show why the team was willing to give up a first-round pick for him in the offseason. Melton is averaging 11.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.3 SPG in his first 23 games in Philadelphia (29.5 MPG), making 38.5% of his 3-point attempts and playing strong perimeter defense.

Melton has enjoyed a career year despite battling a back issue — he has hardly practiced at all this season, Joel Embiid told reporters on Friday. Melton has instead used the team’s off days to take care of his body and go through what he calls a “maintenance” process, according to Neubeck.

“I’ll take (Melton not practicing) every time if he’s going to show up to the game and do what he does every single night,” Embiid said. “He knows it, I appreciate the effort, because I find myself in that same situation quite a bit, and every single chance that I can even when I’m hurt, I want to be on the floor. So to be able to do the same even though he’s dealing with a back injury, I appreciate the effort.”

Here’s more on the Sixers:

In two more articles for PhillyVoice.com, Neubeck considers why the Sixers have been hard to watch this season and fields readers’ mailbag questions, discussing Doc Rivers‘ job security, among other topics. Although he doesn’t believe Rivers is a lock to make it through the season, Neubeck does think the veteran coach has “more security than people on social media want him to have.”
James Harden has been a Sixer for only 10 months and has played with Joel Embiid in just eight games so far this season, so head coach Doc Rivers is preaching patience, telling reporters this week that the pairing is “going to take time” to fully jell, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As Pompey observes, Harden favors an isolation-heavy style of play and is ball-dominant, while Embiid thrives when the offense flows through him. The duo had perhaps its best game this season as a tandem on Friday, totaling 66 points and 17 assists.
There has been plenty of speculation about whether Embiid will choose to play for the U.S. or France in the 2024 Olympics, but the star center isn’t interested in discussing his FIBA future during the NBA season, as Marc Stein writes at Substack. “I don’t want to talk about international stuff,” Embiid told Stein. “I’m focused on us getting better as a team and me getting better as a player. I’m focused on making it to the playoffs and doing something there. I’m gonna worry about the rest later. For now, it’s all about trying to do whatever is possible to win a championship.”

Injury Updates: Harden, Wiggins, Poole, Grizzlies, Jazz

December 5th, 2022 at 4:04pm CST by Rory Maher

James Harden is on track to return tonight for the Sixers as they face the Rockets in Houston, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The star guard has been sidelined for a month with a right foot strain, missing 14 games in the process.

“As much as I love basketball, I want to be out there to compete, especially for my teammates,” Harden said. “So this month has been patience, putting the work in, making sure I’m ready to come back and help this team get to where we can get to.”

Head coach Doc Rivers indicated on Sunday that Harden would be on a minutes restriction.

“Hopeful, he’ll be ready for [Monday],” Rivers said. “And if he is, he’ll be in a limited role. But it’s still better to have him than not, if we can have him.”

After winning four of five, the Sixers have dropped two straight games and currently hold a 12-11 record.

Here are some more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins will miss Monday’s contest against the Pacers with right adductor tightness, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State guard Jordan Poole is questionable with an ankle injury, which he suffered on Saturday.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant is doubtful for tonight’s game vs. Miami due to left ankle soreness, Memphis announced (via Twitter). In addition to Morant, injury-replacement starter John Konchar (right toe soreness) and rookie forward Jake LaRavia (left foot soreness) are also doubtful, while All-Defensive big man Jaren Jackson Jr. has been ruled out on the second of a back-to-back for injury management (he had offseason foot surgery and just returned a few weeks ago). On a positive note, second-year wing Ziaire Williams, who has yet to play this season due to right patellar tendinitis, is listed as doubtful instead of out for the first time and was sent to the G League to practice ahead of Monday’s game (Twitter link). Head coach Taylor Jenkins recently said Williams was nearing a return.
Jazz veterans Mike Conley (knee) and Rudy Gay (hand) were full participants in Monday’s practice and both hope to play on Wednesday against Golden State, though they’re still experiencing some pain (All Twitter links via Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune). If Conley returns Wednesday, he’ll likely be on a minutes restriction, tweets ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The Jazz have missed Conley’s steadying influence, going just 2-6 over the past two weeks without their starting point guard.

Atlantic Notes: KD, Warren, Barnes, Embiid, Harden

December 2nd, 2022 at 5:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Kevin Durant only played 90 of 154 regular season games from 2020-22, but he h as appeared in all 23 so far this season. He currently leads the league in total minutes played and field goals made, while ranking sixth in the league in minutes per game (36.7). Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn is keenly aware of his superstar forward’s heavy workload, writes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post.

“It’s not ideal,” Vaughn conceded on Wednesday after the Nets rode Durant to their first winning record (12-11) of the season. “While we’re in the win-now mode, win today’s game, we are behind the scenes talking about what the stretch looks like beyond tomorrow, beyond the next day. So it is on our minds.”

The problem, of course, is that the Nets have dealt with injuries and absences to key players, and they simply haven’t been good enough to reduce Durant’s minutes given their place in the standings. Brooklyn is currently the No. 8 seed in the East.

“We’ll map out some time where we’ll save a shootaround and maybe not have it, so be strategic that way,” Vaughn added, per Sanchez. “But ideally, he wouldn’t be playing this amount of minutes this early, for sure.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

As expected, Nets forward T.J. Warren is available to make his season debut Friday after last playing in late December 2020, Sanchez relays in another article for The New York Post. Vaughn will be closely watching his minutes, tweets ESPN’s Nick Friedell. Warren is ecstatic to be able to play again. “It’s a surreal moment. It’s been a long process – a very long run – and to be able to get to today, it means a lot. So I’m just super, super excited to beat all the obstacles all the uncertainty and unknowns,” Warren said, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes has had an up-and-down sophomore season after winning Rookie of the Year in ’21/22. He says he knows he’s capable of more. “I feel like I can do way better than what I’m doing,” Barnes told Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “I can contribute better in different ways. We’re trying to get more Ws in the win column and focus on team success, we’re trying to win basketball games, but of course I feel like I can be way better, yeah.”
Sixers star Joel Embiid is excited for James Harden‘s upcoming return, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.”Like I said, [Harden’s return is] all going to be fun. … We need a lot of help. You know, he’s one of our best players. And he’s so freaking good. So anything we can get at this point, we will get it,” Embiid said. Harden is reportedly targeting a Monday return at Houston, his former team.

James Harden Targeting Monday Return

November 30th, 2022 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star James Harden is targeting Monday’s game against his former team in Houston for his return from a right foot injury, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that Harden is aiming to make it back at some point on Philadelphia’s current three-game road trip, which begins on Wednesday in Cleveland. The team will play in Friday in Memphis before heading to Houston for Monday’s matchup. Charania – like Pompey – says a Monday return is most likely for Harden.

The Sixers have been significantly shorthanded as of late, particularly in their backcourt, where Harden has been on the shelf since November 2 and Tyrese Maxey has been out since Nov. 18 with a foot injury of his own. Star center Joel Embiid also missed some time before rejoining Philadelphia’s lineup on Monday.

Despite the health issues affecting their top players, the 76ers have held their own in recent weeks. They’re 8-4 since Harden went down, including 3-1 in the games that Harden, Maxey, and Emibid all missed.

Maxey’s return is likely a little ways off yet, but the Sixers will be in position to begin solidifying a spot near the top of the Eastern Conference standings if Embiid and Harden are both healthy for the foreseeable future beginning next week. At 12-9, the club currently ranks fifth in the East.

Sixers Notes: Tucker, Harden, Milton, Reed

November 28th, 2022 at 9:45am CST by Arthur Hill

P.J. Tucker only has three combined points in his last seven games, but he’s not concerned about a lack of offense, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers won five of those games, even with their three best players missing time, and Tucker seems comfortable with his current role.

“As long as we’re winning, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Of course you want to get more shots. What player doesn’t? But with the way we play — Coach (Doc Rivers) talks about a lack of ball movement all the time — it’s one of those things. Sometimes you get shots, sometimes you don’t. You keep playing and figure it out.”

Philadelphia obviously didn’t sign Tucker over the summer because of his scoring. It was his defensive presence and other intangibles that convinced the team to give him a three-year, $33.2MM contract. Still, Pompey states that his lack of involvement in the offense can be concerning. Tucker spends many possessions spotting up in the corner, and he’s often out of rhythm when he does get a chance to shoot.

“Sometimes you get shots,” Tucker said. “Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes the ball moves, sometimes it doesn’t. Without having (Joel Embiid), (the) ball’s got to pop. Ball’s got to move. Make easy shots for each other. It is what it is.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

James Harden, who has been out of action since November 2 with a strained tendon in his right foot, may be ready to return in a few days, Pompey adds. “It’s different with James because James kind of controls the game,” Tucker said. “He gets everybody the ball. Without James, it’s tough — that’s why the ball has to move even more.”
Shake Milton has made a strong case for rotation minutes once Harden and Tyrese Maxey are back on the court, according to Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. Milton has averaged 22.8 points and 6.8 rebounds over the past four games, along with 7.8 assists and only 2.5 turnovers. He’s also shooting .589/.500/.938 during that span. Hofmann notes that Milton was playing well before the stars were injured and shouldn’t be considered the team’s 11th man anymore.
Paul Reed is learning to be more patient on offense and may be the choice for backup center minutes ahead of Montrezl Harrell once Embiid returns, Hofmann adds.

Atlantic Notes: Banton, VanVleet, Harden, Brogdon

November 17th, 2022 at 9:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The already-shorthanded Raptors lost guard Dalano Banton to a left ankle sprain during Toronto’s 112-104 victory against the Heat on Wednesday, reports Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

Toronto head coach Nick Nurse is pessimistic about the outlook, indicating that the ankle “doesn’t look too good,” per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (via Twitter). Nurse revealed that Banton will be undergoing tests to determine the extent of the injury.

The second-year guard out of Nebraska is averaging 6.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG and 1.1 APG for the Raptors as a reserve in just 11.2 MPG, but had a breakout performance on Monday, scoring a career-high 27 points.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet made his return to the floor for Toronto in its Miami victory following a bad cold. He noted that he is continuing to test negative for COVID-19, tweets Lewenberg. “It wasn’t fun but hopefully the worst is behind me, just happy to be back,” VanVleet said. In 39 minutes, he scored 23 points on 7-of-21 shooting.
Sixers guard James Harden reveals that he has been progressing positively from his tendon strain, per Derek Bodner (Twitter link). Bodner notes that Harden has indicated he is “on pace” to come back to the floor in line with his initially projected one-month rehab window. “We’ve got a plan,” Harden said, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). “We’ve got a script that we’re trying to stick to. All in all, I feel good.”
Celtics sixth man Malcolm Brogdon looks set to suit up once again for Boston, having made significant progress in his recovery from a tight right hamstring, reports The Athletic’s Jared Weiss (Twitter link). The 6’5″ vet has not played since November 9.