CAMDEN, N.J. — Young Philadelphia 76ers rookie big man Filip Petrusev is looking to get off on the right foot in his NBA career. After spending a few years overseas before joining the Sixers, he is looking to make an impact.
Luckily for Petrusev, he has some great veterans to lean on and learn from.
The biggest one is Joel Embiid. The reigning league MVP has been setting a good example in practice, and Petrusev has been taking lessons from the big fella.
“I didn’t know how strong he was, really,” laughed Petrusev. “It’s one thing on TV and I was able to play with (Nikola) Jokic last summer so I got to experience that as well, but this is a different level of physicality that he has that I wasn’t aware of. Seeing how on top of that skill that he has, you can always pick up something from him. Every day.”
Along with Embiid, other veterans on the team such as Patrick Beverley, PJ Tucker and Tobias Harris have made their impact felt on Petrusev. They have set good examples for him.
“He’s (Embiid) obviously the MVP, so he does his own thing, but yeah, he’ll let me know something if he sees it,” Petrusev continued. “I’m very blessed with the vets that we have. Pat Bev, PJ, Tobias, they’ve been great to all us young guys I think so it’s been really great with all of them.”
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