Tag: glenn robinson iii

Furkan Korkmaz addresses Sixers’ home and road differences

The Philadelphia 76ers had the best home record in the league before the shutdown, but their road performances weren’t nearly as good.

Philadelphia 76ers wing Furkan Korkmaz has climbed his way into the team’s rotation this season, but as the NBA’s restart nears, Korkmaz and the Sixers have to pay even closer attention to their weak spots.

For the Sixers, that main weak spot is how different they are on the home and the road. Though Orlando is a neutral site, it’s still away from the comforts of the Wells Fargo Center. Before the shutdown, the Sixers were 29-2 at home and boasted the top home record in the league. On the road, though, they were 10-24, the second-worst of any team in the bubble. They shot 48.5% from the field at home, whereas they shot 44.7% on the road.

Korkmaz’s numbers were significantly affected on the road, too. He shot 45.3% from the 3-point line at home and 34.7% on the road. He has shot a career-high 39.7% from beyond the arc this season.

In speaking to the media over Zoom on Sunday, Korkmaz voiced assurance in himself and the team.

“We are all ready here,” Korkmaz said. “As mentally, as physically, we’re all ready. We know the challenge is going to be different, it’s going to be tough. We all know that. But we’re working for that.”

A third-year player from Turkey, Korkmaz has had the best season of his career so far. He has scored a career-high 9.7 points per game and shot a career-high 43.2% from the field. Korkmaz has also played a career-high 21.8 minutes a game this season.

But since Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks gave depth to the bench at the trade deadline, Korkmaz could find himself jockeying for minutes. Matisse Thybulle, Mike Scott and Shake Milton — if he doesn’t start — are also key reserves.

Brown said to media Sunday over Zoom that he wants to start with a 10-player rotation and thinks it will come down to nine in the playoffs.

“My bandwidth, my net is wider right now because I really do want to see,” Brown said. “I haven’t seen these guys for four months. And when you get into people like Glenn Robinson and Alec Burks and Mike Scott, and you just mentioned Matisse (Thybulle) and Furkan (Korkmaz), what are we going to do with Al (Horford)? There needs to be some decisions, and something’s gotta give. You’re not going to play everybody.”

The Sixers will play their first seeding game Aug. 1 against the Indiana Pacers.

[lawrence-related id=34508,34087,34495,34483]

3 goals for Sixers veteran Glenn Robinson III: provide 3-and-D help

Philadelphia 76ers forward Glenn Robinson III has some goals to achieve in the 2020 playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers are receiving new life as they get set to head down to Orlando on July 9 to begin a new season for them to chase their championship. So this new series we are starting at Sixers Wire is to hand out a few goals for each player in the playoffs.

After starting with Alec Burks, we are focusing this edition on the other guy the Sixers acquired from the Golden State Warriors, Glenn Robinson III. Philadelphia will need Robinson III to get his game going once the playoffs begin for the Sixers to have the success they’re looking for so his three goals are:

Provide shooting

Robinson III was acquired to provide shooting and offense off the bench. This was due to the fact that he shot 40% from deep and averaging a career-high 12.9 points with the Warriors–albeit on a team where he was one of the offensive focuses. With the Sixers, those numbers have dropped to 28.6% shooting from deep and 7.4 points in 12 games before the suspension. The scoring output isn’t as important as the poor shooting. The Sixers need that shooting to be successful in these playoffs and he gets another opportunity to show he belongs.

Provide perimeter defense

Other than his obvious offensive output in Golden State, the Sixers liked Robinson III as a defender. Philadelphia is already a very good defensive team, but they could always use another guy out on the perimeter defensively. Especially when they have to face some of the East’s best scorers such as Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, and others. He could make a name for himself in those areas.

Show out for free agency

Much like Burks, Robinson III is scheduled to become a free agent in the fall. These playoffs will give him a chance to show off his game on a national level. His numbers won’t approach those of his time with the Warriors, but his ability to be able to provide a 3-and-D presence for a possible championship run will be very attractive to other teams on the open market. The opportunity for him is on the table and now he will have to grab it by the horns.

Glenn Robinson III eager to continue playing with Ben Simmons

Glenn Robinson III knows how much he can benefit from Ben Simmons’ playmaking.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Glenn Robinson III knows he’s going to benefit once he gets back to playing with one of the NBA’s best playmakers.

Robinson spoke to media on a Zoom webinar Saturday about how he fits with Ben Simmons, who has some of the best court vision in the league. Robinson was traded to the Sixers from the Golden State Warriors in February.

He only played three games with Simmons because Simmons was out with a back injury in the games leading up to the shutdown.

“I love it,” Robinson said. “I love playing with a pass-first guy, an unselfish guy. Just in my couple games here, he threw me a couple lobs that I hadn’t seen since playing with Steph (Curry) before he got hurt. It’s great to be able to see a guy that’s looking for his teammates, that’s able to pass, run the floor like that.”

Robinson, an athletic 3-and-D player, is going to fit well with Simmons once the season resumes. He mentioned how he likes to run and use his athleticism. Simmons is at his best when he’s playing in transition, so more lobs will likely be in store for Robinson.

Before the shutdown, Robinson played in 12 games with Philly. He scored 7.4 points per game, grabbed 2.8 rebounds a game and shot 52.1% from the field.

Robinson is eager to continue building a connection with Simmons on both ends of the floor.

“Our minds were just thinking alike defensively and offensively,” Robinson said. “I didn’t have to say anything to him. He just threw the ball up a couple times or he advanced it a couple times, and I was able to get easy buckets. I remember just a couple corner threes, unfortunately I missed, but he finds you in ways I think that other guys don’t.”

The Sixers will play their first seeding game Aug. 1 against the Indiana Pacers.

[lawrence-related id=34365,33921,33288,32631]

Glenn Robinson III says Sixers built team message of professionalism

Philadelphia 76ers forward Glenn Robinson III says the team has created a message of professionalism.

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to head down to Orlando on Thursday and resume the 2019-20 season which has been suspended since March 11. The team has been away from each other due to the fact that they had to be quarantined and it can be tough to keep a mindset on basketball during a time such as this one when health and safety come to the forefront.

However, for a team like the Sixers, they wanted to remain in contact and push each other forward in the case that they do get their chance to resume the season. Now, that they do have it, their time in contact can be beneficial to what they want to do.

A message that they have continued to push across during this time has been professionalism. Glenn Robinson III explained that their time together over video calls was nice for him and the team to get ready for this opportunity. The team took coach Brett Brown’s message about being in shape to heart during the time away.

“We created a team message while we were on Zoom and itā€™s just ā€˜be professional, take care of your business, handle what you got to handle, and come back in shapeā€™,” said Robinson III. “Brett made a comment about ‘get yourselves to a ā€˜Bā€™ and Iā€™ll get you to an ā€˜Aā€™ conditioning-wise once we get down to Orlando. I think just from talking to all the guys and listening to the hard work that theyā€™ve put in, I think weā€™re going to be ready to go and I think that this is definitely what being a professional is about.”

Being a professional is hugely important in this league. All of the hard work that the team puts in and what an individual player puts in makes a big difference for any championship push. Robinson III was impressed with how the team handled themselves in quarantine as well as being able to stay together and build chemistry. That was something that was tough for these guys to come up with considering the overall newness of everybody.

“Itā€™s how do you come back to training camp? Whatā€™s your focus level at? Have you been watching film? Those little things will be able to take this team to the next level,” he explained. “We have the pieces. We just have to form that mentality. That chemistry starts from things weā€™ve been doing leading up to this point now and I think from where I came in for just the three weeks that I was here, weā€™re way more connected now even though we havenā€™t been together and I think thatā€™s really important and honestly, Iā€™m really excited about that.”

The Sixers head down to Orlando on Thursday in order to get ready for the season resumption on August 1 for them. [lawrence-related id=34358,34321,34335]

Sixers express multitude of concerns about playing in Orlando bubble

A multitude of Philadelphia 76ers players have expressed concerns over the Orlando bubble.

The good news is, the NBA is returning! After being in suspension since March 11, the league has found a way to safely resume the season at Disney World in Orlando.

The bad news is, the world is still dealing with a global pandemic and it can be tough playing under such conditions and Joel Embiid already expressed that he hated this idea. The Philadelphia 76ers will be one of the 22 teams heading down to Orlando on Thursday to resume the season and it can be tough to play this way, but in the current circumstances, this is probably the best way they can handle things.

“I donā€™t think we should be playing, but I think the NBA is doing all that they can to make the environment safe as possible,” said Shake Milton. “So, my teammates want to play. Weā€™re going down there to try and get a win.”

Glenn Robinson III agreed with Milton that this is probably the best idea the NBA could come up with to keep everybody safe at the moment.

“Obviously, you see all of the stuff on social media and hear all of the talks about it, but honestly, itā€™s as good of a job as they can do right now,” he echoed. “We see all of the money theyā€™re spending. Just seeing the plan, hearing the action, I donā€™t know if we could get better than this right now for something that weā€™ve never done, but it should be interesting. Itā€™s just the unknown, if someone gets it what happens? I think all of us are just thinking like that, but in terms of the NBA, I think itā€™s as good a job as they can do.”

A few members of the Sixers roster are fathers and they will be leaving their children for a while to go play basketball in the middle of a pandemic and a huge Civil Rights movement at the moment. All of that can be tough and draining for anybody.

“Weā€™re just going off of ā€˜weā€™ll seeā€™,” said Mike Scott “We just can only go off of what people are saying, explaining what itā€™s going to be like down there, and giving us an idea of whatā€™s to come, but we donā€™t really know. Weā€™re really just going off of ā€˜weā€™ll see what happens when we get down thereā€™. Hopefully, theyā€™ll try and make everybody safe, but thatā€™s how I feel. Weā€™ll see. I donā€™t know anything until I get down there and see.”

The Sixers will be staying at a hotel at Disney World for weeks and possibly months depending on how far they go into the playoffs. That can be really tough for a lot of guys to stay away from their family like that.

“I think the hardest thing will be just being away from the people we love and being away from our friends and family,” said guard Raul Neto. “I think thatā€™s the thing Iā€™m most concerned about and I think itā€™s going to be the hardest for me personally, because I think the NBA is doing a great job just setting the bubble the way they did with a lot of entertainment for us, with a lot of things that we can do besides basketball, protecting us.”

It is difficult for anybody to be away from their family and friends for this long time and try to focus on doing their job and playing basketball. None of this is going to be easy for anybody in the Orlando bubble.

“Itā€™s pretty difficult,” Josh Richardson added. “Iā€™m not excited to be in that situation, but Iā€™m excited to play. Iā€™m excited to go to war with my teammates so itā€™s a silver lining to everything so Iā€™m excited for it.”

Even for a veteran like Al Horford, this is all so entirely new to him. He has been in the NBA for 13 years now and his mindset is so focused on just being prepared for any challenge thrown at him while in Orlando.

“The reality is that the world has changed for all of us,” he explained. “These are things that are unexpected and you canā€™t predict. Now, the way that I look at it we have another opportunity. We have a reset type of button and weā€™re healthy as a team. For me, itā€™s just about being as prepared as I can.”

Philadelphia begins their biggest challenge on August 1 against the Indiana Pacers. [lawrence-related id=34358,34321,34335]

Multiple Sixers give insight on daily practice routine amid new normal

Multiple members of the Philadelphia 76ers explain their new daily routine amid a new normal at the moment.

The NBA is working towards a resumption in the “bubble site” down in Orlando as they navigate through a difficult landscape at the moment and figure out what the next logical step is amid a global pandemic. Before the teams head to Orlando, they are beginning to get back to their specific team’s workout facility in their home markets under some restrictions.

The players have to work out with just one coach and one rebounder and the coaches have to be masked and wear gloves while the player works out. As the Philadelphia 76ers get back to work, their workouts are pretty different amid this new normal at the moment, but the most important thing is, they can continue to work and get back in game shape.

“I get to the gym and you have to wear a mask when you come in,” explained Glenn Robinson III. “My first week being back here, there was a lot of testing, but you werenā€™t allowed to get on to the court with a rebounder or another coach or anything. Then, moving forward just one coach. I come in, I have my treatment, I have my hour workout with a rebounder and my coach. Obviously, theyā€™re masked, I can workout without a mask. I didnā€™t know how it would be if I had to wear a mask while working out, but itā€™s been good. You have to find a way to be professional and getting your work done in about two hours and get out so the next group can get in.”

Rookie Matisse Thybulle, who has not seen much of his teammates since the league was suspended, explained that players are very much isolated to avoid further contact at the moment. These are the protective measures that the Sixers have taken to keep everybody safe.

ā€œWithin the facility, we have these small bubbles,” explained Thybulle. “Iā€™m only coming in contact with two guys and itā€™s the same two guys at a time so it makes it weird. Like I havenā€™t heard from some guys, Iā€™ve bumped into KO (Kyle O’Quinn) riding his bike in Fishtown and I get to rub past Al (Horford) and Tobias (Harris) in the facility, but other than that, itā€™s very much in passing.ā€

Robinson III further explained it was that the players don’t have all of the time in the world to get stuff done. They only have a couple of hours or so to make sure they come in, get their work in, and then get out so the next group can come in and work.

Robinson III explained:

Itā€™s a little weird. Itā€™s basically one person at a time and they have us on blind schedules. Benā€™s (Simmons) here and leaving as Iā€™m pulling up and as Iā€™m leaving, Furk (Furkan Korkmaz) is coming in and doing his work so itā€™s about an hour on the court and about 30 or 45 minutes in the weight room. I think the Sixers are doing things the right way. I donā€™t know about any other teams. I donā€™t know if theyā€™re playing or 5-on-5 or 3-on-3, I just know weā€™re doing things the right way and Iā€™m glad about that because I think that we can get everybody healthy going down to Orlando. I think thatā€™s the game plan and getting the ball rolling. The most important thing is keeping everybody healthy. We cant afford to miss a couple of weeks of training because of a slip up so I take my job very seriously and I keep myself isolated. Hopefully, my teammates and the whole staff are doing the same thing which I know they are.

Backup point guard Raul Neto revealed that he had just returned back to the Philadelphia area recently and that he had to be tested and in self-quarantine before he could get back out on the floor.

“I got here two weeks ago on a Monday, then we got tested Tuesday, and then I had to be quarantined and working out by myself with no coaches close to me for four days and then Sunday was my first workout with my coach and since then, Iā€™ve been doing a 45 minute/50 minute workout a day and then a little bit in the weight room,” he said. “Itā€™s been good, itā€™s good to be back at the facility even though I canā€™t see any of the other players, itā€™s been kind of weird, but itā€™s nice to be back and able to put my work in and be able to be here.”

These will have to be the rules moving forward to try and keep everybody safe at the moment. The Sixers will get back to work on August 1 against the Indiana Pacers and then the team will be able to continue their championship chase. [lawrence-related id=34070,34063,34053]

Tobias Harris receives high praise as leader, keeping Sixers together

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris has been the one keeping the team together.

For an NBA team to be going through their regular routines of a rigorous NBA season and then have such a huge change happen such as the coronavirus pandemic rip them away from each other, that can be a huge difference for them in terms of chemistry. Guys are away from each other, they can’t play together, they can’t work out, or anything of the like.

For the Philadelphia 76ers, this was a huge difference for them as they already had to implement a lot of new pieces to their team and that caused waves up and down the roster. The league suspension forced them to find a new way of coming together.

“I think that’s the most difficult part being away from each other,” said Glenn Robinson III. “You know, most of the time we spend more time with each other than we do our families, our brothers our sisters so our children.”

In an effort to keep everybody together, Tobias Harris stepped up in a big way keeping the team involved in group chats as a way to grow some chemistry.

“We’ve constantly been in group texts. Tobias has done a great job of kind of leading that route of communication,” Robinson III continued. “I think that that’s the most important point. Especially, for a championship-caliber team is that we’re all connected on the same page. We got a lot of great guys in the locker room a lot of guys that care about each other and that’s what we need first. So it’s really good to see that. I know I got text messages from all my teammates just checking in on me in my house in my family.”

Harris has continued to step into a role as a leader for this team even while they are away from each other and in different parts of the world. His ability to keep the team together during a time such as this one should not go unnoticed. That chemistry off the court can follow a team on to the floor and it can be the difference-maker for a team chasing a title. [lawrence-related id=33921,33912,33902]

Glenn Robinson III gives insight on mindset heading into resumption

Philadelphia 76ers forward Glenn Robinson III gives his insight on where his mindset is at amid the resumption.

When the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Glenn Robinson III from the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline, they were looking for a guy who could provide some offense off the bench and give some 3-point shooting. It was a tough start for him as he shot just 28.6% from deep with Philadelphia after shooting 40% from deep with Golden State.

As the season gets set to resume in Orlando, the future free agent receives another opportunity to prove that he can help a title-contending team right now and that he is ready to go now that he has an understanding of his role.

“I’m not a risky person at all so I actually drove from Indiana back to Philly in nine hours and I gave coach (Brett Brown) a call on my way back while I was listening to music and just thinking about some things,” he explained. “So I got a chance to catch up with him and it was good to have that talk. I think it was good for everyone to take those couple of months to watch film, we all had a chance to restructure, and even myself.”

The Sixers have a lot of options to tun to at the wing spot so it is not like there will be guaranteed minutes for him and that is where the challenge does come in a bit for him. He needs that time to be able to get on the floor and prove himself before free agency hits as he looks for his next contract.

“I obviously know we have a lot of wings and we’re all going to come in competing just like every other training camp and leave it to him to see what happens,” he added. “I’m definitely going to do my job and be professional and come in ready for training camp. I’ve been training for about six-to-seven weeks before I got here in private gyms in Indiana.”

The biggest aspect of this Sixers team is that they still have a goal of winning a championship. As Robinson III prepares for the season resumption, he understands that they can still reach that goal now that they have this chance in Orlando.

“The sky’s the limit,” he said. “I know there’s always talk about us being a 6 (seed) and not being as good as we should have been and (Boston) Celtics and other teams, but when you really sit down and look at this team, I think the sky’s the limit for us.”

The Sixers have all of the talent in the world and now they just need to put it together. These couple of months off gives Robinson III the confidence that this team can get it done.

“Honestly, you would have told me at the beginning to take two months off and come back and try to win this thing, I donā€™t think there [are] too many teams that can really do that,” he finished with. “Really, I say that and I think that we got the personnel and, hopefully, we can have that confidence to go out and win the thing. I think that we’re going to go, might as well have that attitude”

Things get started again on August 1 when they take on the Indiana Pacers in Orlando. [lawrence-related id=33912,33902,33893]

Why the Sixers should consider signing Isaiah Thomas for Orlando

Isaiah Thomas would help bring scoring off the bench to the Philadelphia 76ers

With most of their regular season being underwhelming, the Philadelphia 76ers need to take some risks before and during the NBA’s Orlando restart to bolster their legitimacy as a contender.

One of those leaps needs to be taken in the coming days. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the league’s transaction window to sign players for the rebooted season is slated to run from noon ET on Tuesday to 11:59 p.m. ET on June 30.

Per Charania, teams can have up to 17 players on their rosters for the season’s resumption. The Sixers currently have 16 on their roster.

The Sixers don’t need a wing who can defend or another big man, but picking up a guard who can score off the bench should be their top priority.

Enter two-time All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, who previously played with the Washington Wizards. Thomas was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers after being part of a three-team trade at this season’s trade deadline.

Thomas had a decent season in 40 games with the Wizards. Despite some recent injuries, Thomas showed he can still score at an effective rate.

He scored 12.2 points per game, dished 3.7 assists and shot a career-high 41.3% from the 3-point line. Still, he shot an inefficient 40.8% from the field in 23.1 minutes per game.

The Sixers wouldn’t need Thomas to return to the borderline MVP-caliber play he had with the Boston Celtics during the 2016-17 season. They would only need him to be a primary shot creator off the bench. Alec Burks would also fit that bucket-getter role, as he was having a career year with the Golden State Warriors before being traded to Philly in February.

The one consistent — and valid — knock on Thomas has been his defense. He isn’t a serviceable defender and is prone to getting caught in high ball screens. According to NBA.com stats, Thomas has had the worst defensive rating on the Wizards this season at 120.2.

But the Sixers boasting a relatively flexible roster could help mitigate Thomas’ defensive woes. He would be surrounded by size off the bench in players such as Burks, Glenn Robinson III and possibly Al Horford.

That’s if the Sixers decide to use a starting lineup where Horford isn’t included, though.

Horford moving to the bench would open the Sixers’ flexibility, as that would allow for Shake Milton or Matisse Thybulle to start in his place; Ben Simmons would then slide to the power forward and maintain ball handling and facilitating responsibilities.

The Sixers currently have one of the least productive scoring benches in the league. According to NBA.com stats, the Sixers rank 26th in bench scoring (31.4) and 22nd in bench field goal percentage (43.6%).

A bench core of Horford, Thomas, Robinson and Burks could revitalize Philly. Horford would have more space to work on offense, and he’d have his former Celtics teammate in Thomas to play with in the pick-and-roll.

Thomas has proven to be deft in the pick-and-roll. As a crafty dribbler, he creates space to earn open looks from deep and in the lane. While in Boston, Thomas and Horford were one of the league’s top pick-and-roll duos.

Because of Thomas’ ability to draw defenders, Horford could regularly play in space and score. He was one of the most league’s most effective scoring roll men in the 2016-17 season. According to NBA.com stats, he scored 3.6 points per game as a roll man.

Thomas was one of the NBA’s top scorers as a ball handler in the pick-and-roll that season. He scored 9.2 points per game as a ball handler in the pick-and-roll, per NBA.com stats.

A nine-year veteran, Thomas has scored 18.1 points per game, dished 5.0 assists and shot 36.4% from the 3-point line in his career.

Signing Thomas would be a risk for Philly, mainly because of his mediocre defense. But if they signed him, the Sixers would be banking on his offensive production off the bench, an area where they could certainly use more help.

[lawrence-related id=33331,33206,33372,33339]

Glenn Robinson III shares story of being racial profiled in rookie year

Philadelphia 76ers forward Glenn Robinson III shares a story about how he was racially profiled as a rookie.

On a day the Philadelphia 76ers celebrated the special day of Juneteenth, a key member of their team shared a story of how he was racially profiled after he was drafted to the NBA.

Glenn Robinson III–who was acquired from the Golden State Warriors at the deadline–was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a gift, his father, who also played in the NBA, bought him a Porsche and the younger Robinson took it for a spin.

He told a story about how and his three friends were in the car leaving a Target and he got pulled over.

Robinson III;:

I end up getting pulled over. They asked me for my license, they see my license and go ā€˜Oh youā€™re Glenn Robinson, you just got drafted, right?ā€™ Yeah, I just got drafted, I would go right down here to the high school. And let me go, but they wanted to know why a black man is in a Porsche, why a black man in a Porsche with three friends. We were we were leaving a Target going to get some you know junk food or whatever. There are situations that occur like that, every single day for us.

Robinson III and other people within the Black community go through racial profiling such as this one on a day-to-day basis. It is time for a change in America and hopefully, this is a big step forward. [lawrence-related id=33278,33267,33261]