Sixers’ wing competition key during training camp: ‘It’s going to be a real battle’

Nick Nurse called a timeout early in the 76ers’ preseason opener Sunday night in Boston. He noticed Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. settling for jump shots, which ran counter to what the coaches wanted to evaluate.

“Listen, I need to see if you guys can attack the rim in the open floor,” Nurse said in the huddle.

That’s an example of the state of the Sixers’ wing competition, where six experienced players are competing for minutes in perhaps the most intriguing position battle of the preseason.

Though Harris and P.J. Tucker were starters at forward last season, primary reserves Jalen McDaniels, Georges Niang, and Matisse Thybulle (who was traded for McDaniels at the February deadline) are no longer on the roster. Returning are Danuel House Jr. and Furkan Korkmaz, who were out of the rotation much of last season, as well as Danny Green, who last season was with the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers while mostly recovering from a serious knee injury sustained in the Sixers’ final playoff loss to the Miami Heat in 2022. Kelly Oubre Jr., who set a career high in scoring (20.3 points per game) last season with the Charlotte Hornets but only garnered a veteran’s minimum contract on the free-agent market, was a late addition.

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“It’s just going to be a matter of, at times, who can be more solid, what the matchups look like, can we get them to use their strengths?” Nurse said of how he will allocate playing time among that group. " … We need to make sure they do their strengths. Then it’s going to be a real battle.”

Harris scored 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting and added seven rebounds in 22 minutes against Boston, while Tucker attempted only one shot in 12 minutes. Green, House, and Oubre, meanwhile, shot a combined 3-of-16 from the floor. Korkmaz did not play because of a leg strain, and did not practice Tuesday in Camden.

While Nurse identified Harris and Oubre as attackers with the ball, Green, House, and Korkmaz are more equipped to space the floor with their outside shooting. Last week, House also praised Nurse for “letting me play off my instincts” on offense, though that led to mixed results while trying to create with the ball in his hands against the Celtics.

“It makes you want to give [Nurse] more defensively,” House said of that freedom following last Thursday’s training camp practice at Colorado State, “more offensively, more cutting, more screen for your teammate. You’re more into the game, per se, than [when your job is] just guard the best player and just shoot corner threes when you’re open. …

“Sometimes, you might have the ball coming off the pick and roll. You’ve still got to know your reads. You still got to know when to pass the ball.”

Nurse added that executing defensive coverages might be most important in determining the wing pecking order. The coach understands, however, that miscues will happen this early in the process, when schemes and individual responsibilities are so new to all players.

“That’s important that we know what page we’re on,” Nurse said. “It’s hard enough guarding some of these guys and teams, but we certainly need to be on that. … There’s a big change with what we’re asking them to play. The good news is, they have the ability to do it.

“It’s not like we’re asking somebody to go out there and guard a wing player that can’t move their feet, doesn’t have some length, doesn’t have some athleticism. Now, can we get them to lock in?”

The NBA’s lead front-office executives do not expect Joel Embiid to repeat as most valuable player, according to NBA.com’s annual GM survey released Tuesday.

Embiid — who last season won the sport’s most prestigious individual award after averaging a league-best 33.1 points and adding 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks — did not finish among the top 4 vote-getters but did land in the “also receiving votes” category. The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, who won back-to-back MVPs in 2021 and 2022 before propelling his team to the 2023 NBA title, led the way with 43% of the votes, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (20%), the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (13%), and the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic (10%).

Additionally, Embiid was in the “also receiving votes” group for the question, “If you were starting a franchise today and could sign any player, who would it be?” Jokić also led that category with 33% of the votes, followed by much-hyped San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama (23%), Antetokounmpo (13%), Doncic (10%), and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards (7%).

Jokić also received 93% of the votes for best center in the league, with Embiid and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis also receiving votes.

The survey’s results were more positive for Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who was tied for fourth in the category for most potential to have a breakout season in 2023-24. He was behind Edwards (23%), the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (20%), and the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner (13%), and tied with Orlando’s Paolo Banchero (7%).

The Nuggets and Celtics were tied for the pick to win the 2024 NBA Finals, at 33%, followed by the Bucks (23%), Phoenix Suns (7%), and Los Angeles Clippers (3%). The Sixers were projected to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference, behind the Celtics, Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

While conversing with a reporter following Tuesday’s practice, Maxey abruptly stopped mid-answer as a slew of teammates and staff surrounded Green in the right corner.

“Let’s see if he makes this … ” he said privately, before yelling, “He can’t even see the goal!”

This shooting competition signified the Sixers’ fresh start under a new coaching staff. After Green missed the shot, House became the victim to be swarmed and distracted by arms and yells. When House connected after multiple attempts, he dropped to the floor for push-ups as the in-house disc jockey played House’s song, “Do Your Thing.”

That such a soundtrack could be provided on the spot is also new under Nurse. Sixers DJ, Josh Barrett (aka DJ Ghost), who in the past was only on-site for games, traveled to training camp in Fort Collins, Colo., and was at the facility Tuesday.

The playlist has included the Rocky theme as practice draws to a close. But various sound effects have also been used to celebrate specific plays, such as a screeching bird for a defensive deflection or the coin ding from the Super Mario Bros. video game for assists.

“There’s lots of noises going on,” Nurse said.