There wasn’t an ounce of drama during Sixers media day — and that’s fantastic news for the Sixers.
It’s always something.
A player holding out and seeking a trade. A head coach or executive on the hot seat. A random injury report just as the availabilities are set to start.
But not this year. Sixers media day Monday was quiet and drama-free for the first time … ever? For an organization that’s seen some of the most bizarre and difficult narratives to overcome, it was no doubt welcome.
Here are five takeaways from on the ground at the practice facility in Camden.
Embiid setting the tone
There was no bigger bombshell than Joel Embiid revealing he’d lost “25, 30 pounds” this offseason. The news is big enough on its own. Embiid’s health is always at the forefront for the Sixers, no matter what the pieces look like around him.
For Embiid to be so forthcoming was refreshing considering how guarded he normally is on the topic.
“I think for me, Daryl [Morey] will tell you this, as soon as we lost last year I texted him,” Embiid said, “I was like, ‘We got to do whatever it takes to make sure in the postseason healthy.’ This year … there’s no agenda — no All-Star, there’s no All-NBA. There’s none of that. There’s whatever it takes to make sure I get to that point and I’m ready to go.”
The Sixers’ president of basketball operations, who spoke first alongside head coach Nick Nurse, echoed that sentiment.
“We’re going to be really smart about it,” Morey said. “Obviously we’re going to be focused on April, May, June. That doesn’t mean that the time right now isn’t very important as well, but we’re going to be very smart about how we manage him through the season.”
It was an eventful summer for Embiid, to say the least.
After the Sixers were eliminated, Embiid had little time to rest before heading to Las Vegas for Team USA mini-camp. Embiid had an up-and-down run at the Olympics, but ultimately helped the Americans win gold. “I finally got to the conference finals and I won something,” he quipped.
He also found a little time to recruit Paul George, the team’s big free-agent acquisition, as well as take on philanthropic endeavors in both his native Cameroon and his current home, Philadelphia.
The best way to describe Embiid’s demeanor at media day was calm. The 2022-23 MVP was zen-like describing his experience at the Olympics, his desire to be healthy for the postseason, and his hopes for the current team.
In addition to the weight loss and the prioritization of his health, Sixers fans were likely delighted to hear that Embiid isn’t planning on playing hero ball this year. He has a confidence in Maxey and George that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Embiid have with other teammates.
He knows the best path to a title is having balance.
“My job this year is to empower those guys — especially Tyrese,” he said. “I think there’s another step he can take and he’s going to take it. I think my job is just to go out there and let him be ‘the guy’ because I know at some point, when it comes down to it, it’s going to come in handy. Same thing with Paul and some of the other guys that we added — Caleb [Martin], Guerschon [Yabusele] … we added a lot of guys. It feels like we have a brand new team.”
What’s said at media day typically doesn’t matter in April, May and June. Still, this was as encouraging a media availability as Joel Embiid has ever had.
‘Veteran’ Maxey?
It feels like just yesterday Mike Muscala made one of the biggest shots in Sixers history (while playing for the Thunder), but believe it or not, the player who fell into their laps at pick 21 in 2020 is entering his fifth NBA season.
Maxey signed a well-deserved five-year max extension this summer and will undoubtedly continue to be a franchise cornerstone for the entirety of the deal. The first-time All-Star and league’s reigning Most Improved Player is poised to take another step forward.
But don’t ask him what he worked on this summer.
“I can’t tell you all my secrets,” Maxey said jokingly. “That would just be throwing away a lot of hard work.”
Maxey’s work ethic has been evident from the moment he joined the Sixers. Doc Rivers and the former coaching staff used to have to kick Maxey out of the gym, for fear he’d overwork himself during an 82-game season.
And that is something Maxey did divulge about his offseason. He said he’s getting a better understanding of what it takes physically to get through a long NBA season and then play in the postseason.
“I feel like last year was my first year as far as kind of leading the charge, and it was difficult,” he said. “Playing in back-to-backs and playing heavy minutes sometimes, the body has to hold up for that. So I knew I needed to get a little better stronger, (have) endurance a little bit more. I don’t get tired when I’m running, but the body can get tired sometimes.”
When you become an All-Star and get paid like one, it comes with certain responsibilities — responsibilities Maxey doesn’t take lightly.
“For me I think I’ve always been a natural-born leader, growing up,” Maxey said. “But I think the first couple years of my career were meant for me to learn and to soak up a lot of different things from a lot of different people. And I think I did that. … And I feel like I’m still learning, still soaking up a lot of different information from a lot of different people, but now I feel like it’s my turn to go out there and lead.
“I’ll try to bring guys along with me, not just with my work ethic but with my mentality, my mindset. Y’all know how I am. I love to win. I hate losing more than I love winning, so that’s the mindset that I’m trying to bring to the table, trying to bring to this team, and I’m trying to do it very professionally as well.”
Of course he doesn’t have to look far for an example of a player that carried that sort of weight.
Kyle Lowry, now 38 and entering his 19th season, was a six-time All-Star for the Toronto Raptors, leading the franchise to its first-ever title. Part of the reason Lowry wanted to come back to his native Philly was to continue helping Maxey realize his full potential.
Maxey growing into more of a leadership role is a big part of that.
“Last year when I got here, I guess he was starting to be a little bit more vocal,” Lowry said. “And I think signing that big extension, it kind of makes him say, ‘Hey, listen, you’ve got to be a little bit of a leader.’ I hate to say that, but that’s part of our league. You get that big contract and you’ve got to go out there and do all facets of our game. And that’s lead, that’s play, that’s do everything you’re supposed to do as a professional.
“I think he’s looking forward to the challenge and he’s only going to get better. He’s still a kid. I think he’s excited for his opportunity to get better and better, and to continue to be an All-Star every single year.”
We all know Maxey has the right mindset. He has a tremendous mentor in Lowry. Everything is there for the taking for the soon-to-be 24-year-old.
Sharing is caring for Big 3
The most prominent Big 3 in recent NBA history was created when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach back in 2010. James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were all multi-time All-Stars and “the man” for their respective teams. When they agreed to play together, sacrifices had to be made.
While it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison to what the Sixers currently have, the idea of spreading the wealth offensively seemed to be at the forefront for their three All-Stars.
“For us, it’s just countering off each other,” George said. “Nothing’s forced for one person to kind of take that load; we can share that responsibility. But I see us flowing. I think all of us can kind of play our game within the game.”
There’s substance to that notion. When you have a guard, wing and big as your three stars, it does seem like an easier adjustment.
Maxey’s role has fluctuated with Ben Simmons here (and not here) and James Harden here (and not here) and Embiid missing time. George played with MVP-level Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City and then with Kawhi Leonard in L.A. The biggest adjustment will obviously be with Embiid.
The 2022-23 MVP is used to being the man — largely out of necessity. Now, not only can he take a step back, but he absolutely should. The good news is Embiid knows it.
“Even before the Olympics, that was mindset anyways. That’s what I wanted to do,” Embiid said. “Like I said, in the past I felt like I had to do it. And this year, I don’t think I’m going to have to do it … unless I have to do it. I really have a lot of confidence in these guys to figure it out, and for me to just use myself as a decoy to allow them to just be themselves and be good at what they do best.”
Before he got hurt last season, Embiid was having what looked like another MVP season, largely thanks to his commitment to find and trust his teammates along with Nurse’s fresh offensive scheme. Replacing Tobias Harris with a player the caliber of George should help immensely. So should Maxey taking another leap.
There are going to be growing pains along the way, but the ingredients are there for this Big 3 to thrive.
Plenty of competition to go around
Beyond the Big 3, there is plenty left to be settled for Nurse when it comes to his rotation. Kelly Oubre, Jr. and Caleb Martin are penciled into the starting unit. How the bench situation shakes out will be interesting.
At guard, veterans Lowry and Eric Gordon likely have the inside track on roles — though Nurse mentioned Lowry’s role will likely be a little smaller than the massive one he played last season. Reggie Jackson and Jared McCain appear on the outside looking in, but with the Sixers looking to be smart with how they manage Lowry and Gordon, 35, there should be opportunities.
It gets a little interesting at the three and four spots. George, Oubre and Martin will play big minutes, but there will be serious competition behind them. Youngsters Ricky Council IV and KJ Martin are hungry to earn a role. So too is French forward Guerschon Yabusele in his return to the NBA.
All three believe their the best man for the job.
“I feel that I can fit great,” KJ Martin said. “Like you said, rebounding … was an issue during that Knicks series, so I can use my athleticism well. There’s a lot of time at the four. I played the four mainly in Houston a lot, and a little bit of the three and small-ball five. I feel like I can get plugged in at a lot of places.”
“I’m comfortable playing any role; anything they need me to do, I can do,” Council said. “I tell them that all the time. I’m ready to embrace anything.”
“In general, as a player I’ve learned a lot,” Yabusele said, “being able to compete with Real Madrid and also on the national team, everything I’ve done. … I just learned a lot about the game, the IQ of the game — the movement; shooting; being aggressive; being able to have the ball in my hands and make decisions. I really got better in all those points.”
Morey made sure there wouldn’t be any competition at the backup five spot by quickly bringing back Andre Drummond in free agency. In Drummond, the Sixers have a player that’s more than adequate as a backup to Embiid and can at times provide starting-caliber minutes when the star big man is out.
Another player that could be a factor there is rookie Adem Bona. The UCLA product shined during summer league with his length and athleticism. He’s already soaking up all he can from Drummond.
“To have someone like that early in my career is huge,” Bona said. “He takes me under his wing. He tells me what I need to do in practice, after practice, in the cold tub. We talk about the games all the time. We talk about plays that happened in practice — things I didn’t do, things I did well. … I think that’s really amazing, to have someone like that who’s seen everything.”
Chances are all of these guys might play a role at some point. The good news for the Sixers is they all seem ready.
The Sound of Silence
It’s amazing how calm media day was Monday. In all my time covering this team (like eight years(?)), there’s always been something.
It did not go unnoticed by the longest-tenured Sixer.
“It’s extremely important to go into camp without any negativity or outside noise,” Embiid said. “Obviously, the last few years, we’ve had a lot of (that). With the team that we built this year … and it’s not just about this year. I see this as a long-term thing. Obviously, I want to finish my career here and just extended. PG signed a four-year deal. Who knows if he’ll still want to play after, but I think we’ve got a pretty good opportunity to be consistent, which is something that I just talked about.”
Embiid seems at peace. That’s likely something he hasn’t been able to say at any point in his NBA career. It’s as clean of a slate and as great of an opportunity as the franchise has had at any point in over decade.
Let’s see how it translates on the court.