The Philadelphia 76ers are not like most teams in the East who have been together for some time. They have a star duo in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid who have played together for over three seasons now, but their supporting cast is basically brand new and they have a new coach leading the way in Doc Rivers.
They brought in new guys such as Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey, Danny Green, and Dwight Howard who all play a significant role on this team and they need to be integrated into the team. Even Tobias Harris is still working through a lot of changes next to the stars and under Rivers. That’s why it was so important to actually be able to practice on Tuesday.
It has been tough to build up chemistry in the early part of the season due to the fact that the team has dealt with so much to begin the season. Injuries have taken a toll as well as the league’s health and safety protocols.
“It’s been tough because it’s not just been Seth,” said Rivers. “We had the whole COVID thing with other people that couldn’t play. Tobias missed a bunch of games, not having Shake (Milton), we had a lot of offense off the floor, let’s put it that way, and a lot of the key guys off the floor. We just tried to make pieces, put a team together, and see if we can scratch out some wins.”
The Sixers are a team that has aspirations to win a title and to do that, they will need everybody on the same page. A team like the Miami Heat or the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics have been together for some time and they have good chemistry.
The Sixers don’t have that luxury right now and that’s what the regular season really is for them right now. It’s Rivers trying to get everybody on the same page.
“I don’t think anyone can have a timetable,” Rivers stated. “I think every team has their own time when they come together. Some come together right away and then keep growing. I just look at the season as growth. You got to keep growing, getting better, and then hopefully by the time the playoffs start, you’re at your peak. That’s what you want to try to do.”
Now that the Sixers have Harris, Milton, and Matisse Thybulle back, all they are waiting for now is the return of Curry. He has cleared protocols, but the Sixers want to ramp up his conditioning before he returns to the floor.
“Once we get everybody back, we can resume work,” the coach finished. “This is not a team that’s been together. So we just need to resume work together to start growing.”
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