Getty Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia 76ers are preparing to go where the Boston Celtics went last season. That’s the ultimate goal, anything less than an NBA Finals appearance won’t cut it. Not after all this team has invested in and endured during “The Process Years.”
These Sixers have moved on from that Process, full charge ahead. They’ll look to start a new journey in the regular-season opener on October 18 against Jayson Tatum and the Celtics, the reigning East champs. Boston expects to get back to the NBA Finals and a statement win against the Sixers would show they aren’t going anywhere.
Tatum told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix that he’s now obsessed with winning. Kobe Bryant style.
“I was exhausted,” Tatum told Mannix about his demeanor after losing the Finals. “Didn’t feel like talking to anybody. Didn’t feel like being bothered. It’s hard to explain if you have never been in that situation. But losing a championship was f****** miserable.”
“I was miserable”
Jayson Tatum opens up on the aftermath of losing the NBA Finals during live interview with Taylor Rooks in B/R app
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An ultra-focused and extremely motivated Tatum – a 26.9 points-per-game player who picked up a respectable 43 points in MVP voting – could be the boulder blocking Philly’s passage to the promised land. That’s if you want to look ahead. Tatum doesn’t. One game at a time.
“It’s not a statement,” Tatum told reporters, via Boston.com. “Obviously, we want to win every game we play. But we’re not going to overreact if we win, if we lose. We can learn from both. It’s only one game.”
Doc Rivers Taking Same Slow Approach
The Sixers would like nothing better than to walk off the court in Boston – underneath all those championship banners, across that tacky parquet floor – with an opening night victory. Not to be picky, a resounding one would be nice. While that statement win might creep into the players’ consciousness, Doc Rivers isn’t encouraging it.
“I will say more so, it’s about us,” Rivers said, via Sixers Wire. “It’s understanding what we need to do what we’re trying to accomplish. Run our game plans, listen to what we got to do out there, and just continue to fight and continue to move on.”
Here’s everything you need to know about a revamped Sixers squad that may be Doc Rivers’ deepest team yet:
Meanwhile, Rivers threw out an interesting comment about the Sixers having an extra roster spot open. The decisions to waive Isaiah Joe, Charles Bassey, Trevelin Queen, and Charlie Brown Jr. gave them great flexibility there. Listening to Rivers, it sure sounded like another move is coming when he said: “we believe that there’s a lot of guys out there that may become available.” Carmelo Anthony? Eric Gordon? Ben McLemore? Something to monitor.
Sixers Waive Charlie Brown, Sign Foster to 2-Way
The Sixers officially waived Charlie Brown Jr. on Sunday, while converting Michael Foster Jr. to a two-way contract. Rivers called Foster out by name following the final preseason game as a guy the team wanted to get an extended look at. He saw 3 minutes towards the end of that one as Charles Bassey stayed on the bench. Clearly, the front office sees something it likes in Foster.
“Michael needed to play some minutes. We wanted to see him,” Rivers said on October 12. “We know what Charles is. We needed Michael to play some too.”
Michael Foster Jr. had his Sixers deal converted to a two-way today.
He said he’s seen himself as a pick-and pop guy who can knock down 3s for a while. Tweaked his shot this summer, feels everything’s smooth.
Called offseason weight loss “probably the best decision I’ve made.”