“There’s not a lot of padding on it, so it’s just a different feel shooting the ball,” Brown said. “(The pain) is fine. Especially with the adrenaline of the game, you kind of just get going.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
Making his return to Toronto tonight, Sixers coach Nick Nurse explained why he decided to leave after five years with the Raptors, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Nurse’s time with the organization included a championship in his first season, a Coach of the Year award and a 227-163 record. However, he hadn’t won a playoff series since 2020 and the team’s progress was stagnating.
“It felt like it was time from both sides,” Nurse told reporters before Saturday’s game. “It still feels that way to me, just looking around. I look at them play and they look like they’re playing great and I’m really enjoying coaching this team. So everybody is where they’re supposed to be.”
There were complaints in Toronto that Nurse was overplaying his starters and neglecting player development while pursuing every possible win, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Players were also unhappy with the level of communication, Grange adds, with some saying they learned about changes to their roles through the media instead of directly from Nurse.
Nurse was complimentary toward his former team at tonight’s press gathering, saying, “They look good to me. It’s a new coach, a new system and they’re going to need some growth time. But I think in general they seem like they’re playing really hard, they’re playing really well together, they seem really focused and they’re doing a lot of good things.”
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After earning Most Valuable Player honors in 2022/23, what sort of individual goals does Joel Embiid have for the ’23/24 season? According to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required), the Sixers‘ star center wants to make a case for Defensive Player of the Year and would like to become more of a play-maker in Nick Nurse‘s offense.
“Make those passes and making it easy for everyone else,” Embiid said. “I think, this whole year, that’s going to be my big focus — to just try to get as many assists and trying to get my teammates involved as much as possible. … I never liked just being an [isolation] player. I don’t think that’s the right way to play, and I don’t feel that’s the right way to win. I like this system.”
Embiid’s season got off to a slow start on Thursday in Milwaukee, recording more turnovers (seven) than assists (six) in a game the Sixers lost by a single point, prompting Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer to suggest that the big man looked like the player most affected by James Harden‘s absence.
However, there were some encouraging signs in the road loss, Pompey notes. Tyrese Maxey looked excellent as Philadelphia’s new starting point guard in Harden’s stead, racking up 31 points and eight assists, while minimum-salary free agent addition Kelly Oubre scored 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting (5-of-6 three-pointers).
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The impact that James Harden‘s standoff with the Sixers might have on star teammate Joel Embiid has been an ongoing subplot this offseason as the Harden saga drags on. Speaking to reporters on Monday for the first time this fall, Embiid was asked if he feels the need to put public pressure on his team’s front office to make a move, the way Giannis Antetokounmpo did this summer in Milwaukee.
“It’s tricky. I think it could go both ways,” Embiid said (Twitter video link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “… (The Sixers’ front office decision-makers) get paid to make those decisions, so that’s why I leave it up to them. If they want my opinion, maybe I give it, but I trust (them). Any team that I’m on, I’m still going to believe that I have a chance to win, no matter who’s on the roster. And we’ve got a lot of great players. I’m happy with what we have.”
Embiid went on to say that he thinks Tyrese Maxey could be primed to make a leap this season and that the Harden situation will “hopefully” be resolved soon.
“If he’s here, we love him and we want him to be with us, and I think we have a better team with him on the floor,” Embiid said. “And I think he knows it too, so hopefully that gets resolved. If that doesn’t (get resolved), it doesn’t change the goal, it doesn’t change anything. The goal is still to go out there and try to win a championship.”
Here’s more from the Sixers’ media day:
New Nets power forward Darius Bazley envisions himself as being a versatile, defense-first contributor for Brooklyn, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
Following a 2022/23 season split between the Thunder and Suns, the 6’8″ big man inked a one-year, veteran’s minimum agreement with Brooklyn, citing the team’s energy and chemistry as reasons why the Nets appealed to him.
“Just watching them a little bit in the playoffs, also just throughout the course of the season, the new team that they had towards the end here, they looked like they had fun,” Bazley said. “They looked like they played hard and together. It was just something I wanted to be a part of. When it all came down to it, Brooklyn was the place to be.”
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With James Harden‘s trade request still unresolved, teams are monitoring the future of his Sixers teammate P.J. Tucker. According to a report from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Tucker has come up in trade discussions between the 76ers and the Clippers, Harden’s reported preferred destination. The Clippers “covet” Tucker’s ability to guard multiple positions, according to Scotto.
Tucker, a teammate of Harden’s on the Rockets from 2017-21, joined the 76ers last summer on a three-year, $33MM deal to reunite with Harden and former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Harden and Tucker are close, with Harden reportedly taking less money last offseason to help bring Tucker aboard one of the Eastern Conference’s top contenders.
Tucker, a 12-year NBA veteran, is owed $11MM this upcoming season and has a player option worth $11.5MM for the 2024/25 season. At 38 years old, Tucker is one of the oldest active players in the NBA but he hasn’t shown any mileage yet, starting in all 75 of his appearances last season and averaging 25.6 minutes.
There’s more from Scotto:
There’s no urgency for the Sixers to complete a James Harden trade, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Friday in an appearance on “Get Up” (video link). Even though Harden has asked to be dealt and seems to prefer the Clippers, Wojnarowski notes that the track record of president of basketball operations Daryl Morey suggests he’ll explore all available possibilities before committing to a deal.
“You may let free agency settle,” Wojnarowski said, “see where players land, see where needs arise for different teams that might not be interested today but could be in a few days. I don’t anticipate necessarily that this is going to be quick because it doesn’t have to.”
Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times also hears that a Harden trade may not happen right away. He cites league sources who said they’ll be watching how patient the Sixers decide to be and what they’ll be seeking in return. Greif names Terance Mann as a player the Clippers might be reluctant to include in a Harden deal.
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While Sixers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden have had a tendency to occasionally fall back on “my turn, your turn” style offense this season, their chemistry in Game 4 was what the team envisioned when it acquired Harden at last year’s deadline to pair him with Embiid, as David Aldridge of The Athletic writes.
Embiid and Harden combined for 76 points on 27-of-49 (55.1%) shooting in Sunday’s crucial home win. They were also involved in the biggest offensive possession of the night, when Embiid passed out of a double team with about 20 seconds left in overtime and found Harden, who hit a three-pointer to give Philadelphia a one-point win lead. That shot proved to be the game-winner.
“When we space the floor, and we do the things we need to do, it’ll find an open shot,” Harden said. “Not just me and Joel, but just everybody who’s open. Once we did that, tonight, we did that at a high level, consistently. And that’s just great offense for us.”
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While Sixers forward Jalen McDaniels is enjoying his first playoff experience, he’s also working to improve his prospects in free agency, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. McDaniels reached the play-in tournament a couple of times during his three-and-a-half years with the Hornets, but he got his first opportunity with a contender when Philadelphia traded for him in February.
“That shows I can play at the highest level,” he said. “That I can compete with the best guys. I can stop them. I can get to my spots (on offense and) make plays. … If you play the right way, which I feel I always do, you’re going to stand out in some type of way. Someone’s going to want you, just because you play the right way. Philly came and got me from Charlotte, because they saw I was playing the right way and needed a little piece. … Now I’m on a playoff team. Now I can showcase my game in front of everybody that’s watching. Now everybody can see what’s up.”
That includes teams with cap space this summer who can use an athletic, 25-year-old three-and-D wing. McDaniels likes his new situation in Philadelphia, but he understands that he has the chance to land a big contract when he hits the free agent market.
“It just all depends on what (the Sixers) see from me,” McDaniels said, “and what I see for myself.”
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With Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid out due to a right knee sprain, his backup Paul Reed elevated his game to help the Sixers sweep the Nets and advance, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Reed notched a 10-point, 15-rebound game while jumping center for Philadelphia, and also chipped in several key plays on both sides of the ball, opines Pompey.
“He kept his hand on the ball, getting extra possessions,” forward P.J. Tucker said. “That stuff matters. ‘You got to have a motor in this game’ is what I told hm. ‘Don’t worry about scoring. Just worry about being in the right place, right time, helping and communicating.’ And he did. In the second half, he came out and he did that.”
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It wasn’t obvious to anyone who watched him post 29 points and 12 rebounds in the Celtics‘ series-opening win Saturday, but Jaylen Brown was having trouble gripping the ball because of a cut that reopened on his right hand, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN. Brown originally suffered the cut while watering his plants last week and had to get five stitches. He wasn’t able to practice until Thursday and is still experimenting with the best way to protect the hand while he’s playing.
“It’s a constant adjustment, making sure I have a good grip on the ball,” Brown said, although he told reporters that he doesn’t expect the injury to bother him throughout the entire series.
Brown started Saturday’s game with padding over the cut, but it seemed to distract him, according to Harvey. He went to the locker room after checking out in the first quarter and returned with a new bandage that appeared to be more comfortable.
“There’s not a lot of padding on it, so it’s just a different feel shooting the ball,” Brown said. “(The pain) is fine. Especially with the adrenaline of the game, you kind of just get going.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division: