NEW YORK — Caught up in everything that comes with a Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets matchup was the debut of Jalen McDaniels for the Sixers at Barclays Center.
McDaniels played 15:40 and had five points and four rebounds off the bench. He definitely looked out of place on a lot of defensive possessions. Even on the offensive end, he seemed out of it, but he found a way to contribute and help Philadelphia escape with a 101-98 win over the Nets.
“It felt good to get back out there,” said McDaniels after the win. “High energy win, high intensity. That’s how each game is gonna be playing here so it’s good to be out there to support the win.”
Afterward, coach Doc Rivers was happy with what he saw from McDaniels and how he can help the Sixers going forward.
“He’s gonna help us,” Rivers added. “He’s gonna really help us. His length, his rebounding, he’s gonna be big for us. You can see it. Very happy with a guy who didn’t know what the hell we were doing. He literally didn’t know. Offense, defense, his head, you can see guys screaming at him go to this spot, get to this spot, he’s gonna be really big for us.”
Even on the last two defensive possessions, the most important of the game, Rivers had McDaniels out there to try and get a big stop with the game on the line.
“Just already coming here and Doc throwing me in there and building trust is all I’m trying to do so I feel like he trusts me,” McDaniels added. “He knows I’m a defender. He can trust me and throw me in those positions, so I appreciate it.”
In terms of nervousness, McDaniels said he wasn’t for this one. He was available for Friday’s contest with the New York Knicks, but he didn’t play because Rivers wanted him to just watch.
“If I would’ve played yesterday (Friday), I would’ve had some nervousness,” McDaniels laughed. “Today (Saturday), I felt good. It felt real regular, today, honestly.”
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=]
[lawrence-related id=75275,75261,75258]