The Philadelphia 76ers are getting set to go to Orlando and resume the 2019-20 season that has been suspended since March 11 due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The threat of COVID-19 is still out there and that is a real concern for teams as they get set to resume this season. Even though no Sixers have tested positive for it at the moment, the threat is still there so that means other guys will have to be ready.
For Raul Neto, who did not play much before the suspension after the Sixers made a couple of acquisitions at the trade deadline, he may be needed to step in and play some serious minutes should anything happen to one of the team’s main players. He is a guy who has played a variety of roles in his career, including starting 53 games as a rookie with the Utah Jazz, and he is ready for any role thrown his way as the season resumes.
“I know it’s a different situation than just a regular season,” Neto explained Sunday via Zoom. “It’s not only the virus, but people coming back from three months out, unfortunately, injuries can happen so I think my mindset is just the same as always, but I think even more being ready for that.”
Philadelphia has already clinched a playoff berth as the season resumes, but the Sixers will play eight games before the playoffs do begin so a lot of that will be getting ready for those games. To Neto’s point, even though a guy like Ben Simmons says he’s 100% ready to go, there’s a chance that he could re-aggravate his injury due to back issues being so touchy.
“Being ready in case I need to start in the playoffs so I think it’s just being mentally prepared for whatever the team needs from me is something that I’ve been working the last couple of weeks,” Neto added. “Just getting ready for this training camp and these last eight games and the playoffs. There’s a lot of things that can happen like the virus, injuries, that can give me more opportunity than I had until now.”
Neto has averaged 11.5 minutes in his first season with the Sixers after signing a 1-year deal in the offseason and he is shooting 39.4% from deep. He is not a guy who will be counted on for much, but should anything happen to the team in terms of injuries and the virus, then he is solid enough to fill a role for this team. [lawrence-related id=34053,34038,34039]