PHILADELPHIA — New additions Buddy Hield and Cam Payne have played two games with the Philadelphia 76ers, but it hasn’t been while the team is whole at the moment.
Both Hield and Payne will play a very important role in whatever the Sixers do in the 2023-24 season, but this Sixers team is still missing key pieces.
Obviously, they haven’t played with Joel Embiid yet who is out due to undergoing a meniscus procedure on Feb. 6. They made their debuts with Tyrese Maxey sidelined before he returned on Saturday and they haven’t yet played with the injured De’Anthony Melton, Nic Batum, and Robert Covington.
“Nobody is gonna feel sorry for you in the NBA,” said Hield. “There’s no crying in basketball. My high school coach always used to say that in the Bahamas so you gotta figure it out. First day from physicals straight to the arena, watching film on the plane trying to figure out the schemes, but you never figure out everything until you’re really out there.”
Hield is all about professionalism. He has been thrust into some tough situations before in Sacramento and Indiana and will be looking to continue to be that same guy in Philadelphia despite so many key pieces missing at the moment.
“Just figuring out the team, figure out the terminology, we had a different type of terminology,” Hield added. “It’s the first day of school, man. Just trying to learn your new classmates and learn your new teachers which is the coaches and just figure out how everybody talks and communicates. You gotta be professional and embrace it and the end goal is to win a game and no matter what happens, we’re happy to get a win.”
Payne, who had to start in his debut in place of Maxey before coming off the bench on Saturday, has had to play a couple of different roles early. The Sixers will look to get him integrated as well as Philadelphia moves forward.
“It’s definitely different, but it’s OK, man,” Payne laughed. “We got a lot of good guys in there. We got some guys that are gonna fight to the end. Like me as well, I’m gonna fight so I love the guys. We out there playing with a lot of heart. We were down big, but we fought back and that’s a credit to the guys that’s on this team, but it will be a big bonus when we get those guys back, though.”
[lawrence-related id=90394,90387,90380]