Sixers head back to drawing board to correct poor rebounding, defensive struggles: ‘That’s all we drilled’

The Sixers have been a poor rebounding team so far this season, ranking 29th in the NBA with 39.9 per game entering Friday’s home date with the Los Angeles Lakers.

How much those struggles on the glass ultimately hurt the Sixers often depends on how they are defending.

The Sixers had the league’s fourth-most efficient defense entering Friday (109.5 points allowed per 100 possessions), and were fifth in second-chance points allowed (12 per game) and 14th in points in the paint allowed (48.5 per game). Those numbers tumbled during their 0-3 road trip: 29th in defensive efficiency (119.5 points allowed per 100 possessions), 27th in second-chance points allowed (17.3 per game), and 25th in points in the paint allowed (56 per game).

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As a result, coach Doc Rivers said the Sixers focused on keeping the ball out of the paint during their two practice days between Monday’s double-overtime loss in Houston and Friday’s matchup against the Lakers.

“That’s all we drilled,” Rivers said. “Ball out of the paint, we rebound. Ball in the paint, it makes rebounding hard.”

NBA officials have put a recent emphasis on calling traveling, carrying, and palming violations. After there was an average of 1.7 travel violations per game across the league in October, per analysis by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, the figure doubled in November. And following an October with zero carrying violations and six palming violations called, there were 44 and 57, respectively, in November.

Rivers “doesn’t exactly love” the new focus on traveling. Not because he does not want it enforced, but because he believes sometimes officials incorrectly blow their whistle.

“It’s the hardest thing in basketball to actually see,” Rivers said. “It really is. Some of the ones that they’ve called, when we go back, they’re not. Our guys are good. That’s the one thing you learn: Our guys have amazing footwork. They put the ball on the floor at the last [millisecond] before they lift their feet, and a lot of those have been called.

“It’s a lot easier to call [carrying or palming]. That’s visual. You can see that. The feet are tough, so I don’t love it.”

The emphasis on these calls follows seasons when officials have focused on defenders preventing “freedom of movement,” or on offensive players using egregious “non-basketball moves” to draw fouls.

When asked if those whistles eventually will dissipate as the season moves closer to the playoffs, Rivers said, “I think they clean it up, and then they go back to the median. They don’t go all the way back to the other way.”

When asked following Friday’s shootaround if he grew up a Lakers fan, Los Angeles native De’Anthony Melton immediately answered with an emphatic no.

The Sixers guard grew up in a household of Clippers fans. Coincidentally, Melton has a vivid memory of his mother, Monique, owning an Elton Brand jersey. The former Clippers star, of course, is now the Sixers’ general manager.

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Does Brand know this tidbit?

“I don’t think so,” Melton said. “It’ll come out when it comes out.”

Because of that upbringing, Melton acknowledges he’d enter Friday’s game with a little more motivation.

“You have to beat the Lakers,” he said.

Reserve wing Danuel House Jr. will miss Friday’s game against the Lakers with a left foot laceration, according to the team.

House’s absence further depletes a Sixers bench already without Georges Niang, who will miss his second consecutive game with right foot soreness. Star guard Tyrese Maxey also remains out with a fractured foot.

House, who entered Friday questionable to play, is averaging 4.9 points and two rebounds in 22 games this season. He and Niang also are two of the Sixers’ better three-point threats.