Getty James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the Philadelphia 76ers did not make any selections in the 2022 NBA Draft, Daryl Morey made sure not to walk away empty-handed. Along with signing Julia Champagnie to a two-way deal, he signed Michael Foster Jr. to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Foster Jr. is a six-foot-eight forward who spent the past year playing for G-League Ignite. In that time, he averaged 14.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG. With an Exhibit 10 deal, he was able to play on the Sixers’ Summer League squad and have his contract converted to play for the Delaware Blue Coats this season.
Following the conclusion of Summer League, Foster Jr. is back to training and refining his game. He was recently spotted working out at Arizona State, former home to Sixers star James Harden. Foster Jr. posted a video on Twitter in the gym, calling it “the place James Harden built.” The former MVP spent two seasons at Arizona State and averaged 19 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.7 APG.
Foster Jr. appeared in four games during the Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 7.3 PPG and 5.5 RPG while shooting 52.4% from the floor.
P.J. Tucker Working Out With Sixers Stars
One of the biggest moves of the offseason for the Sixers was signing veteran forward P.J. Tucker to a multi-year deal. Along with veteran leadership, he brings some much-needed two-way wing play to the lineup. Last season for the Heat, Tucker averaged 7.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG while connecting on 41.5% of his threes.
When news broke that Tucker was declining his player option with the Heat, the Sixers became the clear frontrunner to acquire his services. This was likely due to his connections to Daryl Morey and James Harden from his time spent with the Houston Rockets. The 37-year-old is wasting little time getting acquainted with his new teammates, as videos recently surfaced of him working out with Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Joel Embiid, James Harden, and P.J. Tucker are working out together #Sixers
Sixers Fan Trolls Ben Simmons After Nets Shake-Up
After how things unfolded last year, Sixers fans are likely going to take a jab at Ben Simmons every time an opportunity presents itself. The latest trolling of the former No. 1 pick involved a recent shake-up to the Brooklyn Nets’ coaching staff.
One of the many former players Steve Nash had on his staff was longtime three-point specialist Kyle Korver. He played 17 seasons in the league, five of them being with the Sixers. In that span, Korver knocked down over 2,400 threes while shooting 42.9%.
As an assistant coach, Korver focused on player development. When Ben Simmons was traded to Brooklyn, he was regularly seen working with the former Sixer to improve his jump shot mechanics.
Korver’s time on the bench was short-lived. He recently accepted a role with the Atlanta Hawk’s front office, another one of his former teams. Following this news, one Sixers fan weighed in on the move, saying that teaching Simmons how to shoot is what drove Korver to move on from coaching.
As Sixers fans know all too well, Simmons has always shown a reluctance when it comes to outside shooting. In the four seasons he’s taken the floor, the three-time All-Star has attempted 34 threes and made only five, equating to 14.7%.