CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off their big move at the deadline in February when they acquired Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets in a four-team deal that sent Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Sixers are hoping McDaniels can bring his talents at both ends of the court to the playoffs. However, this will be the first time McDaniels has been in the playoffs.
“Just expecting hard play,” McDaniels said ahead of his first playoff run. “A playing hard atmosphere, crowd’s gonna be crazy, a lot of energy, just competitiveness at the highest level so I’m excited for it. This is my first playoffs.”
McDaniels was a part of the play-in tournament twice while a member of the Hornets. He had five points in 16 minutes in the 2021 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He had seven points in 26 minutes in the 2022 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
“The play-in is just like kill or be killed,” McDaniels recalled about the play-in tournament. “It’s the last game so I got a little taste of it, I guess you could say, of what the atmosphere is like. Not like in a real series. This is my first one, so I’m excited.”
In 24 games with Philadelphia after the trade, McDaniels averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 48.8% from the floor and 40% from deep. Considering he has been able to transition to the Sixers rather quickly, he isn’t worried about transitioning his game to a postseason setting.
“I just know my game is translatable wherever I play,” he said. “Just being a versatile player. I never think about that. When I get on the court, I just gotta be myself.”
PJ Tucker, who has been in plenty of playoff runs in his career, had some advice for McDaniels on how to handle the postseason.
“Just embrace it,” Tucker explained of McDaniels. “Embrace every round and embrace every moment. Don’t take any of it for granted because you can have a streak and go a long time without going to the playoffs or having a chance to go to it so it’s an opportunity. It’s a blessing and take full advantage.”
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