Key Takeaways From Sixers Media Day & A Week Where Stuff Actually Happened
MOC, rounding into fine end-of-second-August pre-season form.
It’s that time of year again, folks. Everyone is in the best shape of their lives (except Kyle Lowry), everyone is in a great mood, and everyone has eliminated every weakness they had in their game six months ago. Media day, which took place at the Sixers’ practice facility Friday morning, is always filled with straight-up propaganda — but if I’m being honest, it’s comforting propaganda, and I look forward to it every year.
Let’s break down some of the major takeaways from Sixers media day, and also discuss some of the latest news on Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain.
Joel Embiid sounds and looks better but offers no specifics
Joel Embiid is visibly skinnier than he was around this time last year, and offered some vague optimism about the state of his health, saying, “I’m excited to keep progressing. I feel really good.”
Embiid did not come out and state directly whether or not he will be participating in training camp, or whether he expects to play in the season opener. I could opt to rip him and the team for the 100th time for not offering specifics (why couldn’t he say whether or not he would participate in training camp in literally one day?), but since it’s media day and the general vibe of Embiid’s presser was positive, I’ll just settle for whatever positive developments I can get. He sounds good, he looks good, and if they’re secretly planning to sit him for the first couple weeks of the season, they’re doing a good job of throwing us off the scent.
Tyrese Maxey embraces leadership
I thought the best quote of the day came from Tyrese Maxey regarding the need for the Sixers to establish an identity regardless of who is on the floor.
“We need to set a standard,” Maxey said. “This is who we are, no matter who plays, who doesn’t play.”
This overall theme was echoed by Embiid and Nick Nurse. If there’s one real positive to take away from today, it’s that I genuinely believe that the core of the team is pissed off and motivated by how awful last year was. There’s some real intensity in the air.
One of the biggest issues the Sixers faced last year was the inconsistency of their effort, regardless of what personnel they had available. After climbing out of their initial hole to start the season and getting their record back to 15-20 in early January, they went on to lose seven games in a row, culminating in an embarrassing blowout loss in Denver, after which Nick Nurse publicly called the team out for lack of effort.
After Nurse’s callout, with fans just about ready to embrace the idea of tanking, they went on to win five out of seven games while playing some of their most inspired basketball of the season. At that point, Embiid and Paul George were about to return from injury, and it seemed like they were ready to go on a run. They then lost nine in a row, eventually cementing the need to tank away the season.
From the start of the year, it just never felt like the Sixers’ effort level was consistently where it needed to be. They were awful in most of the hustle stats categories, and it just seemed like a defeated, deflated group from start to finish. Maxey sending the message that he is determined to correct that was perhaps the most encouraging development of the day.
More small-ball lineups incoming
I’m not going to sound any alarms just yet, but one of the more concerning patterns of the day was the frequency with which both the players and Nick Nurse discussed going to small-ball lineups. Maxey mentioned looking forward to playing 3-guard lineups, Paul George expressed willingness to be a full-time power forward, and Nurse repeatedly stated that positions are somewhat meaningless nowadays, and that there are really good teams that play four guards on a regular basis.
I can only assume Nurse is thinking about OKC here, which is a terrible comparison to the Sixers’ personnel; the Thunder have absolute freaks of nature in their backcourt like Alex Caruso and Lu Dort, who can credibly guard most centers. Playing Kelly Oubre at the four is not remotely the same.
Last season, the Sixers’ small-ball lineups were repeatedly awful, whereas many of their best lineups were traditionally sized. If Nurse thinks he can get away with playing a ton of lineups with Adem Bona – an undersized center in his own right – and four guards, he’s got another thing coming.
Sizing up the Quentin Grimes situation
The only Grimes takeaway from media day was that Daryl Morey expects a resolution “in the next few days.” Grimes, of course, has until October 1 to decide whether or not to accept a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer — which comes with a full no-trade clause, and serves as the closest thing possible to a hard deadline in this situation.
Gina Mizell of The Inquirer reported recently that the Sixers’ offer has been four years, $39 million, whereas Grimes and his agent are seeking $20-25 million annually.
Multiple reporters, including Shams Charania of ESPN, have indicated that the most likely solution here is a one-year balloon payment in which Grimes waives his right to a no-trade clause. That’s not a disaster outcome for the Sixers – it would retain Grimes’ value as a trade asset, while also maintaining the Sixers’ access to his bird rights, allowing them to offer him a lucrative long term contract next off-season if both sides can agree to it.
That said, the best outcome here would still be for both sides to meet in the middle and come to a long term deal at around $15 million per year. That’s a fair price for a player of Grimes’ caliber, and I’d be shocked if he’s going to get much more than that on the open market next season if he were to take a one-year deal. It is of course possible that some team out there becomes enamored with him and clears up the cap space necessary to sign him, but I’d say the two most likely outcomes by far are that he either remains a Sixer long term or is traded at some point in the next two years.
While I like Grimes and I believe in the flashes he showed as a scorer last year, you simply cannot pay a player of his caliber more than $20 million per year, even in the position the Sixers are in. That is death in the era of the second apron. He is, at best, the fourth best player on a title team, and you cannot afford to pay that type of player $20-plus million if you want to be a serious team.
So, I credit Daryl Morey and company for at least not grossly overpaying Grimes. If he returns on a one-year balloon deal, that’s not the worst outcome in the world – him returning on the qualifying offer, feeling angry at the team and determined to walk away in the off-season at all costs, would in fact be a far worse outcome.
Jared McCain’s injury could be worse
Shams reported on Friday that Jared McCain tore his UCL in his right thumb during a workout on Thursday and will likely miss 4-6 weeks due to his thumb injury, which is about the best possible outcome in this situation – these injuries often last up to eight weeks.
While it’s a bummer and I’m sad for McCain, I’m not all that concerned about either his or the team’s long term fallout from this. If he has to miss the first 2-3 weeks of the season, so be it. The kid is a stud and all indications are that he will be completely fine in the long term.
In his absence, it’ll be interesting to see V.J. Edgecombe get thrown into the fire as a ball-handler right away. Or, perhaps we will get to see Kyle Lowry play his final meaningful minutes as a pro while doing in-game interviews for the NBA on Prime, like a right fielder getting grilled by the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball team. Either way, I still expect big things from McCain this year.
Mike O’Connor is the best O’Connor in basketball writing. Previously of The Athletic, you can find Mike on Twitter @MOConnor_NBA. Mike’s writing is brought to you by Body Bio, supplements based on science, focusing on your gut and brain health.