The Sixers’ Mike Scott hopes his second time playing for Doc Rivers will be better than his first

Mike Scott is hoping that his second experience playing for new 76ers coach Doc Rivers turns out more successful than the first.

Scott is among three players on the roster who have played for Rivers. The list also includes fellow forward Tobias Harris and point guard Derrick Walton, who was signed last month as a free agent.

Scott and first round draft choice Tyrese Maxey returned on Tuesday after being out following positive COVID-19 tests. They both participated in non-contact drills on Tuesday and are expected to join group workouts on Wednesday.

Scott, 32, played for Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers for part of one season in 2018-2019. He started the season in Los Angeles but was dealt to the Sixers at the trade deadline in February in a multi-player deal that also brought Harris to Philadelphia.

In 52 games for the Clippers, Scott averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.4 minutes. He actually shot a decent 39.1% from three-point range.

Scott gave an honest assessment of his brief time in Los Angeles.

“When I was with the Clippers, I just didn’t play well,” Scott said on Tuesday. “I don’t think I played well last year either.”

Going back to his Clippers days, he said it simply came down to not playing up to his expectations.

“When I was with Doc, I don’t know, the fit, the system, I don’t know, you could say that, but when it is time to go out there and play, you have to do your job and I don’t feel like I did it, and I came here,” Scott said.

Scott has become a fan favorite in Philadelphia, and was an integral rotation player during the final part of the 2018-2019 season and the playoffs. Scott shot 41.2% from three-point range in the final 27 regular season games with the Sixers that season.

Last year both his playing time and performance were inconsistent. In 68 games, he averaged 6.0 points and shot 36.9% from three-point range. He went through dry spells. For instance in one six-game stretch he shot 3 for 16 from beyond the arc and in another five-game period, he was 2 for 13.

Scott averaged just 5.0 minutes when the Sixers were swept in four games by the Boston Celtics in last season’s playoffs after averaging 19.3 minutes in 10 playoff games the previous year.

He felt weight gain caused him to struggle last season. Scott especially struggled when the Sixers returned during the NBA’s restart in the bubble in Kissimmee, Fla., missing the first three games due to a knee injury.

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 237 pounds, Scott said trimmed 10 pounds since the 76ers were eliminated.

“I had some knee problems in the bubble that I think came from I was a little bit too heavy in trying to ramp it up and [it] put so much pressure on my body,” Scott said. “Coming back 10 pounds lighter, I still want to lose more weight. The older you get, the less you need the weight. That might help the knee problems.”