Sixers Talk Toughness At Media Day
Before you ask, no, I did not ask Doc Rivers about his recent social media activity.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
I was on site in Camden, NJ this morning and afternoon for Sixers Media Day, where the media was introduced to each member of the 2022-23 team. For those interested, I tweeted out just about every quote here. But for now, let’s focus on the macro overview of today.
And before you ask, no, I did not ask Doc Rivers about his recent social media activity.
“Toughness”
If there was one word used more than any other today, it was “toughness.” It’s a trait the team has notably lacked in recent years and one that Joel Embiid was vocal about wanting to add to this group. Back in the 2022 postseason, Embiid mentioned PJ Tucker as an example of the type of player they needed. Then, Daryl Morey went and got… PJ Tucker.
Tucker was the most common subject among most of the returning players, including Embiid, whose dual press conference with James Harden featured multiple answers in which Embiid publicly thanked Harden for enabling the front office to go and get his former Houston Rockets teammate.
Tucker, who fittingly spoke last, said that he and Harden have wanted to team back up ever since they were separated after their time in Houston.
With Tucker at the podium, the day’s theme -- toughness -- predictably came back to light. Tucker said that the word is "different for everybody."
"It's being accountable, reliable, not backing down, being available,” Tucker said. “There are so many facets that go into being tough, but for me the biggest toughness is the mental toughness."
The Sixers have sorely lacked players like Tucker for years. And so the front office acquiring the prototypical “hustle” player appears to be a very popular move among the players.
“The guy’s a warrior,” Georges Niang said about Tucker.
Asked about his experience facing Tucker in the playoffs last season, Niang paused before uttering one word: “annoying.”
There was clearly a directive at the top to bolster this team’s toughness.
“When things are down, having the mental fortitude to pull everyone together,” Morey said. “That was a big part of our summer.
The other new guys
Beyond Tucker, this team has quite a few new rotation pieces -- among them being De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr. and Montrezl Harrell.
House Jr. and Harrell, both free agent signings, expressed excitement about reuniting with Harden, as both spent time with him in Houston.
“That’s my guy,” House Jr. said. “Growing up around him and seeing what he does on and off the floor, it just makes my respect for him so much greater.”
Melton, acquired in a trade for the team’s 2022 first-round pick and Danny Green, figures to be a significant piece of this rotation as a third guard who can play off the ball and defend the perimeter at a high level.
Harrell, who grew up a fan of Allen Iverson, said the Sixers legend called to congratulate him when he signed on with the team.
“It’s a huge honor, really,” Harrell said.
The party line: defense, defense, defense
Morey spoke openly about two-way play being a key part of the acquisitions they made, admitting that last year’s team featured too many one-dimensional players.
When he and Rivers opened up the day with a joint press conference, both expressed excitement about the group that has been put together.
“This is the best talent I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Rivers said.
Embiid and Harden both displayed similar enthusiasm about what this team has the potential to be.
Embiid particularly focused on the defensive end of the floor, where he wants the Sixers to be the NBA’s best team this year -- also mentioning that he needs to increase his intensity on that end in the regular season. Embiid said he wants to be as effective on the defensive end as he was before taking on such a significant offensive load in recent seasons.
Several players mentioned the team’s defense as an area that can separate them from the rest of the pack.
“The better we are defensively, the better we’ll be offensively,” Tobias Harris said.
Some more tidbits
Let’s start with some health updates:
The Sixers announced right before the day began that Tucker underwent a minor procedure on his knee. Tucker said it took place about six weeks ago, and that he is fully cleared for training camp.
Niang, who battled a knee injury for the last few weeks of the regular season and entire playoffs, also shared that he is at 100 percent and ready to go.
Furkan Korkmaz, who shot a career-low 28.9 percent from three-point range last season, said that around last season’s All-Star Game, he suffered nerve damage in his fingers and often lost feeling. Korkmaz said it made him alter his shooting mechanics, which in turn took him out of the rhythm he was in at the start of the year, when he looked like the team’s best offensive bench player.
A fun note: Melton and Matisse Thybulle both mentioned that they vied against one another for a PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award, which Thybulle won. Melton maintains that Thybulle “stole” the award from him, a claim Thybulle vehemently objected to.
Tyrese Maxey and fellow 2020 draftee Paul Reed shared an extremely wholesome joint press conference. Predictably, Maxey fielded the vast majority of the questions -- and so he chose on three or four occasions to completely deflect a question asked about him specifically, and pivoted to praising Reed’s abilities and work ethic. At the conclusion of one of Reed’s answers, Maxey shouted “GOOD JOB, P-REED! GET OUT THE MUD!”
Isaiah Joe also spoke at length about the bond that has formed between the three of them, all drafted on the same night.
Several folks spoke at length about how hard the team’s younger players have been working during the summer -- most commonly Thybulle, Reed and Maxey. Thybulle said this was his first full offseason to work on his game, as he played for Team Australia last summer and was limited by COVID-19 restrictions the summer before that. Thybulle said most of his work has come on the offensive end of the floor, including “condensing” his shooting mechanics by getting rid of unnecessary movement.
Harrell was asked if he and Embiid had discussed their dust-up in Washington last year that ultimately got Harrell ejected. Harrell said they have not discussed it, and that he’s looking forward to being on Embiid’s side moving forward.
With training camp getting underway soon and the preseason soon to follow, we’ll have plenty more on the Sixers as we get ready for what will certainly turn into a season full of absurdities, as we are all accustomed to. Day one is complete.