Compared to the media day that took place 12 months ago, the Philadelphia 76ers are now in a more stable place. With Ben Simmons now in Brooklyn and after an offseason spent replenishing the team’s depth, that much is not in question.
This time around, there was no ongoing soap opera dominating the day’s proceedings. The conversations centered on run-of-the-mill basketball topics, with the one question looming over the entire day a relatively simple one: Is this revamped group good enough to realistically contend for an NBA title?
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That question will be answered in the next few months. But media day is time to take stock of the Sixers’ starting point for the 2022-23 season. Here are some of the things that we learned.
After surgery, P.J. Tucker is ready
For a long stretch in the middle part of the last decade, the four scariest words in basketball were, “Philadelphia 76ers Medical Update.” So when the Sixers released one of those updates a few minutes before media day got underway, it naturally caught everyone by surprise.
By all accounts, though, this update was a mild bit of housekeeping. The Sixers announced that Tucker, a new free-agent addition, had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and has been cleared for on-court work when the team takes the court in Charleston, S.C., for training camp, which begins tomorrow.
“I’m doing great. We good,” Tucker said. “It made sense time-wise to go ahead and get it knocked out. It’s been six weeks. I’m fully cleared and back on the court and doing everything. So, I’m excited.”
President of basketball operations Daryl Morey called it a “late-summer, 10-minute procedure” and expressed that there weren’t any complications or setbacks. And Tucker mostly laughed off a question about potentially pacing himself throughout a long season.
“I don’t know what that is; I just wouldn’t play,” Tucker said. “I just play; it’s like a process or thought of a maybe … players play.”
Even if Tucker is fully operational for training camp, the medical update underscores the challenge that the Sixers have in keeping him fresh for the playoffs. And that is because of the physical toughness that Tucker brings to the lineup.
After the Sixers lost to Tucker’s Miami Heat last season, Georges Niang was one of the most vocal critics of what he felt was a lack of team-wide toughness. And after Tucker came aboard, Niang described playing against him in the postseason as “annoying.”
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“The guy is a warrior, Niang said. “I think you saw it. He’s someone that will run through a brick wall and run through the other team to help his team win. And I think any time you can add a piece like that to your team, that’s extremely valuable. He’s won a championship, he knows what it takes to get to the top of the mountain.
“You have someone who no matter how many times you put an elbow in his chest or try to throw him down to the ground, it’s just like they keep coming and coming.”
Tucker is the type of player who is willing to put his body on the line to do the so-called “little things” that help teams win games. But at 37 years old, he needs to overcome the toll that style of play can have on a player’s body. If and how the Sixers pace Tucker throughout the season will be something to keep an eye on.
Joel Embiid’s focus: defense
Embiid was in a deadpan mood, not willing to give away any details of his offseason skill development.
“I was chilling on the couch, so I didn’t really work on my game,” Embiid said. “So we’re just going to have to wait and see how the season goes.”
Embiid always adds to his game in the summer. But a topic that both Embiid and coach Doc Rivers brought up is that the team is most confident in its offensive firepower, which means defense is a priority.
“I would say our focus is on defense,” Embiid said. “We aim to be the best defensive team in the league. That’s going to take all of us. I gotta get back to not waiting until the fourth to be that guy and doing it all game.”
Embiid singled out the additions of Tucker and De’Anthony Melton as key to improving the team’s defense. The Sixers were the 11th-best defense in the league a season ago according to Cleaning The Glass, which is down from the third-best group the season before.
A few times, Embiid spoke about himself potentially burning more fuel on the defensive end after being surrounded by both a talented and complementary offensive supporting cast. To get the Sixers back in elite company defensively after swapping Simmons for James Harden would be a major feather in his cap. And after Morey spent the offseason targeting two-way players, the early party line from the Sixers is that the scoring will come easy enough.
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“We’re very confident offensively. We have to become a better defensive team,” Rivers said.
Tyrese Maxey’s whirlwind summer
Over the past two-plus years, Rivers has consistently praised both Maxey and Paul Reed for their work ethic as young players. He also added Matisse Thybulle to that group for his work this summer.
But as far as Maxey is concerned, Rivers told a story of how his son Spencer (a skill development coach) and assistant coach Sam Cassell showed up uninvited to his house in Los Angeles with a problem. They wanted to know how they could slow Maxey down during a frantic offseason schedule.
“It’s hard to shut a guy down like that, it really is,” Rivers said. “Paul Reed too, it’s kind of hard. They’re young and you kind of let them do it.”
Maxey did a lot on the court this offseason. He worked out with Harden, Cassell and trainer Chris Johnson in Los Angeles. He spent time with longtime trainer Tim Martin in Dallas. He played with the Sixers in informal runs in L.A. He played in the Rumph Classic at La Salle University. And he ran basketball camps in multiple cities.
While Maxey said that he did squeeze in his first vacation ever, he also was in Philadelphia for long stretches. He went to Union and Phillies games, even showcasing some instant chemistry in the booth with John Kruk. And Maxey believes the two concepts, his work ethic and fan-favorite status in Philadelphia, go hand in hand.
“I think it’s the work ethic,” Maxey said. “The city of Philadelphia is such a blue-collar city. It’s like everybody here that goes to games or that I see around town, they work extremely hard for what they have. So when you work hard for what you have, you really cherish it. And I really believe that because I worked extremely hard to get where I am today.
“Nothing was given to them, nothing was given to me.”
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James Harden gives health update
Last season, Harden had moments where his first step simply wasn’t there. Despite that, the veteran guard refused to say all that much about a lingering hamstring injury as the season unfolded. That has changed this offseason.
“It was very difficult, a lot of tough times, a lot of dark moments which I’ve never really went through because I was always healthy and playing the game of basketball,” Harden said. “I’m in a really good space right now and I feel like I’m back to where I needed to be and where I’m supposed to be.”
While Harden didn’t expand on his state of mind from a season ago, he did say what he believes are the keys to staying fresh moving forward.
“I think at this point it’s dieting, it’s proper rest,” Harden said. “And then for me, I think it’s just strengthening my muscles, gaining more muscle mass, which I’ve always had and the last year and a half I really wasn’t healthy enough to put the proper work in like I’m used to. So this summer was huge for me in that aspect, making sure I’m doing hill runs and the weight lifting was important.”
“Best shape of my life” is a recurring media day trope as old as time. Although Harden would not get into specifics when it came to his hamstring, he did notably admit that it was a problem for him last season. But the real proof will come on the floor in a few weeks.
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(Photo of Tyrese Maxey and James Harden: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
