WEBVTT - Mailbag Monday | Ben & Jo, Isaiah Joe, and Your First Half Highlights 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.640 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers Podcast network 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:08.240 search seventy Sixers Podcast wherever you get your pods. It 0:00:08.400 --> 0:00:11.159 is our final mailbag before the All Star break. So 0:00:11.200 --> 0:00:14.000 we ask you, the great seventy sixers fans out there, 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:17.279 what was your favorite moment from the first half. We'll 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:20.360 share responses, Plus we check in on the state of 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:24.120 the team, Ben and Joel's chemistry, Isaiah, Joe with the Bluecoat, 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:28.040 and more, your voicemails, your dms, and a chance to 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.840 win swag. Every week we do it right here on 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:38.879 Mailbag Monday. Somehow we are already at this point. It 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:43.519 is the final Mailbag Monday before the twenty twenty one 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:47.120 All Star Break. I for one, Lauren Rosen, I'm just 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:50.519 appreciative that we've made it this far, about two and 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:53.880 a half months worth of quality engagement with our great 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:58.320 loyal supporters, listeners and tremendous sixerspans out there. Yeah, and 0:00:58.320 --> 0:00:59.840 it really does feel like we're getting more and worse 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:03.520 missions every week. So as always, thank you guys so 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:06.000 much for what you contribute, even when we don't get 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.440 to everything. Personally, I really like to just hear what 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:11.120 you guys are thinking. About the type of questions that 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:13.520 you're asking yourselves, because that helps me inform like the 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:15.600 content that we do on other platforms, because Seltz and 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:17.440 I do the pregame show and I write about the 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:19.760 games and like, it's very helpful for me to hear 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:22.080 what people want to hear because then I can do 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:23.560 more of that. So thank you as always for the 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.600 feedback and for the questions. We appreciate them. Our job 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:29.600 literally is to cover the seventy six ers, but fundamentally, 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.000 our gig is all about serving you out there, the people. 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:35.399 We are here to inform and try to expose you 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:37.959 to new things. So yeah, the feedback has been awesome. 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:40.080 We love it. For me, Lauren, this has been one 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:41.920 of the most fun things that we've introduced and rolled 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:45.319 out this season. And if anyone is a first time 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:47.319 mail bag Monday listen you're wondering, well, how do I 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:49.200 get in on this? Here's the way it works. You 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:51.520 can leave us a voicemail. We always prefer and love 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.080 to hear the sound of your voice two on five 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:57.080 four zero three seven six three seven two on five 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:01.440 four zero three pods, or you can look four ways 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:04.480 to connect with us when the dms are open either 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:08.080 on Twitter or Instagram. On the six ER's main account 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.320 every Sunday afternoon. There's usually a sticker question that's put 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:14.160 up there. Submit there will then filter through those and 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:18.320 read some selects on the mail bag, or follow myself 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:21.200 or Lauren Rosen laurens at Lauren M Rosen on both 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:25.080 Twitter and IG I am at Brian Seltzer on Twitter 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:29.280 and at Seltzer six or snaps on Instagram. Although I've 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:31.359 been debating Lauren whether or not it might be worth 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:38.080 the thirty second sweaty palms scramble to convert my locked 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:42.440 personal on ig at Brian Seltzer to my professional and 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:45.480 do away with the at Seltzer six or snaps handle. 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.160 I mean, you know my opinion. I like continuity on 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:50.520 both platforms. If I had the luxury of even having 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:52.800 Lauren Rosen with no m in it, I would certainly 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:55.560 be using it everywhere. So because you have Brian Seltzer, 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:58.680 I would use it. That's my two cents. The current 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.840 at Brian Selzer account is locked because it's just a 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:05.880 dump of kid content, you know, That's what it is, 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:07.520 and no one no one needs to see her here 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:11.320 or watch that I love the kid content. But anyway, yes, 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:14.120 I say do it. Why not? Okay, that might be 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:16.239 an All Star Break activity for me. Put it in 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:18.760 the calendar. Listen. I think there's one thing that I 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:20.800 would say I need to change about the Mailbag, and 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.280 that is this is the third straight week that we're 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:27.359 taping after a loss. Come on, we need some win Sixers. 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:28.720 I mean, I'm not expecting the six Ers to win 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:30.799 all the games, but at least on a Saturday or 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:33.120 Sunday before the mail Bag it helps. I do think 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:35.360 that's funny. This team is twenty two and twelve, there's 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:37.200 still the head of the East, but it does feel 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:39.600 like we only tape the day after losses. So let's 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:41.880 just try to make sure we remember, as we always 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:44.360 try to do on this pod, that we're zooming out, 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:46.440 we're remembering this is still a team that's leading the 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:50.160 East and they won this week outside of the loss 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:52.040 that we're coming off the heels of that, as they 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:54.720 all admitted, wasn't their best outing. I'll say this though, 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:57.880 to the credit of the populace out there, the feedback 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:00.720 the responses have been very good for this week. A 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:06.320 nice wide swath and diverse collection of submissions and inquiries. 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:08.800 So I'm excited to get to the mail bag and 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:14.600 with that, let us open it up. You have one 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:18.920 new message Court Kuba on Twitter will tip us off. 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:21.839 He says, do we think Doc has been trying to 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:25.120 get Ben Simmons to be more aggressive even with Joel 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:27.839 on the floor? And do we think Simmons might start 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:29.880 perhaps this is a question asked following the way that 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:32.400 the game against the Cavaliers ended. Do we think Simmons 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:36.159 might start taking more threes by the time the playoffs start? 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:40.280 You want to go first? You're gonna like my answer, 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:43.279 selts I think I anytime this topic comes up, I 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:46.040 sort of take a page out of Doc Rivers book. 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.560 And when Doc is asked about this type of thing, 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.000 he says he loves how aggressive Ben is. He loves 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:53.040 what he does on both ends of the floor, and 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:54.800 that we spend too much time talking about what he 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.640 doesn't do. Did I did my eyebrows go up when 0:04:57.640 --> 0:04:59.800 I saw him pull up for that three late and 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:01.880 and have it go in with confidence. That was great 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.599 to see. Love that for him. But I'm not someone 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:07.520 that's going to be out here demanding more from Ben. 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:09.680 I like the way that Doc has said, Look, you're 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:11.960 great at a lot of things. Lean into that. Other 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:14.000 stuff will come if you want it to. And I'm 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:16.320 okay with that, and I think maybe it's working. I think, 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:18.760 first and foremost, yes, I love the way that not 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:20.719 just for Ben Simmons, Doc, I think that's been one 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:22.920 of the biggest strengths of his so far. He has 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:26.159 been empowering each of these players to be essentially the 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:29.360 best versions of themselves and then putting it on him. 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:31.240 And this isn't to say anything about how things went 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:33.400 years past, but I think Doc is really embracing this, 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:36.280 putting it on himself to find ways to accentuate and 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:39.240 maximize the best of what each of these players can offer. 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:40.520 So do I think that we're going to see Ben 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:43.400 starting to take more threes by playoff time? I'm not 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:46.000 sure if it will be a consistent part of his game. 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:48.120 Would I expect to see him take a couple more 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:50.599 threes in the second half of the season and not 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:53.719 take none? Yeah, I mean, I think it'll just happen 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.119 kind of like it has sporadically throughout the first half. 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:58.279 But the biggest part of that question that Court asked 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:00.000 was has Doc been trying to get Simmons to be 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.400 more aggressive even with Joel on the floor, Absolutely, in 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:06.040 my opinion, and Doc has said as much publicly, and 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.040 some of the Ducks said before the game against the Cavaliers, 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:12.560 he was asked about Ben and Joel and their chemistry, 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:15.360 and I thought it was really great to hear it 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:17.400 comes straight from the head coach, but saying how much 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:21.480 the Sixers are focusing every day on creating driving lanes 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:25.280 and floor space to maximize the ability for Ben Simmons 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:27.720 and Joel Embiid to be out there and do their 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.039 thing allow the way the Sixers did it going back 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:33.480 two and three seasons ago. I am with that for sure. Seltz. 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:36.800 I think there's just been so much chatter about how 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:40.080 Ben and Joel should play together, and I like the 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:42.560 fact that this year Doc just wants them to both 0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:45.680 be their best at the same time, to coexist, to 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:47.800 help each other be their best. No one needs to 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:49.920 take a back seat here, and that's something that's been 0:06:49.960 --> 0:06:53.120 really clear in these teams. Best wins is how well 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:55.400 the two of them can thrive together at the same 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:58.880 time or off the court, like if one of them's 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:00.800 out there, they can thrive. Both of them are out there, 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:02.839 they can thrive, and that's what Doc wants. He wants 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:04.240 them to be their best. He wants them to lead 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:06.320 into their skill sets and help and to help one 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:09.800 another do that as well. And I think we've seen it. 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:12.400 Something we talked about on the Friday Deep Dive, which 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:14.480 we do every Friday with the von Givens from ninety 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.680 seven five the fanatic was the number is a pairing 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:20.560 that Ben and Joel have put up this season. Right now, 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:24.040 going into Monday's game against Indie, they're just under a 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:26.240 fourteen net rating for the lineups in which the two 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:28.280 of them play together. What I should have looked up 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:29.840 and what I will look up at some point is 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:33.440 really look at Lauren their offensive rating together compared to 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.760 previous seasons. This season's been around one nineteen, which is 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:40.200 obviously really good. But last year, for comparison's sake, by 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.560 the time Simmons and Joe had played around eight hundred 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:46.480 minutes together right now they're at almost seven hundred, their 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:49.720 net rating was less than one. So to make a 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:52.880 leap of roughly fourteen and a category just speaks to 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.160 how affected the two of them have been this year. 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:58.120 So Court Kuba, thank you very much for that. On Twitter. 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.480 Zaide Dalal on Twitter, I'm sorry if I didn't pronounce 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:07.200 that correctly. Thoughts on the energy the team played with 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.720 against the Cavaliers seemed like we had a couple of 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:11.840 those games this season. What are we missing to get 0:08:11.840 --> 0:08:14.880 the energy ramped up during the game. I will say 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:17.280 I thought, personally, larned that that was the only game 0:08:17.280 --> 0:08:21.080 the Sixers energy was like that this year. I think 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:23.720 going back to earlier this season when the roster wasn't 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:25.320 at full strength. I mean, you think about maybe a 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:30.120 game like Memphis, you could explain and rationalize and understand 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:33.080 that because the Sixers didn't have their full compliment of 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.840 weapons at their disposal. I just thought Saturday personally, and 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:38.199 I think that the guy said this Doc Rivers didn't 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:41.200 hold any punches after the game. Just didn't have the 0:08:41.320 --> 0:08:45.040 requisite sense of urgency or perhaps seriousness going into that 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.320 game on Saturday and they got caught, which I think, 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:49.680 not to make an excuse it's going to sound like it, 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:52.120 I do feel like that's a reality, even for really 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:54.720 good teams over a long seventy two game season. I 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:56.920 have two thoughts on the matter, So it's the first one. 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.520 This morning, I was listening to Ramona Shelburn and Zach 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:01.480 low on a low post and they were talking about 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:03.160 the Lakers, who have had a little bit of a 0:09:03.160 --> 0:09:05.680 skid lately. Anthony Davis is hurt, they've lost a couple 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:07.800 of games to maybe opponents that they shouldn't have lost 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:10.000 two talking about their loss against the Wizards that was 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:12.840 not a very cute one. And something that Ramona said 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:15.080 is that it's kind of that time of the year 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:19.400 and good teams are gonna sleep on bad teams sometimes 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:20.720 and they're not going to be able to bring the 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:22.600 energy every night. But that doesn't mean that the Lakers 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:24.160 aren't one of the best teams in the West. Just 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:26.960 because they're struggling right now doesn't mean the Sixers aren't 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:28.920 still the best team in the East because they had 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.439 one tough game. So hearing her, someone who's covered great 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:34.800 teams for a long time, say it that way, and 0:09:34.880 --> 0:09:37.280 hearing Zach Lowe agree made me think, Okay, yeah, maybe 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:39.320 it is just that time of the season. I'm not 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:41.880 used to covering a team that's really competing at the 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:44.319 top at a high level year after year. This is 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:46.199 new for the Sixers, and so it's interesting to hear 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:49.040 her talk about it that way. So don't overreact. That's 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:51.280 my thing number one and my thing number two. Celts 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:53.680 I said this to you during the game. This is 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:56.240 a team that's won so many close games, and I 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:58.720 do think that they have a little bit of confidence, 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:00.920 a little bit of swagger about the fact that they 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:03.000 can pull it out at the end, which in a 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:06.080 lot of cases is a great thing. But if you 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:08.679 relax too much and rely on the fact that you 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:10.360 think you can turn it out at the end, you're 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:12.240 gonna end up having problems. And like you said, they 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:14.400 got caught. But I am going to hold onto the 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:17.000 fact that we have seen this team take over in 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.520 the second half and the fourth quarter, Joel Embiid making 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.720 it happen, and they really almost did. Joel's last shot 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.480 of regulation goes in and it's a win, and we're 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:28.000 talking about, Wow, they really eat that one out despite 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:30.800 the off night. So I do think looking at the 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:33.400 fact that they could have made it happen and they 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:37.880 were that close despite being as maybe relaxed as they were, 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:40.800 is kind of a good thing. It's kind of cool 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:43.080 that you can have an off night and really not 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:46.480 activate until late in the game and then still hang again. 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:49.520 Not something you want to keep doing, but it's it's 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:51.360 weirdly a little cool to know that this is a 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:54.880 team that can be down fifteen and still never really 0:10:54.880 --> 0:10:57.160 be out of the game. You know. Yeah, I think 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:59.280 for me, the biggest part of this is just don't 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:01.240 let it happen again. You know that one of those 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:05.160 situations where let's not see it happen. Where not to 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:08.080 imply the third quarter or fourth quarter against Cleveland was 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:10.440 the best version of the Sixers we've seen, but I 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:12.560 feel like everyone would agree that if the Sixers played 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:14.800 like they did in the second half in the first 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:16.760 still might not have been their best, but it certainly 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:19.160 would have been enough. You're gonna have games. What comes 0:11:19.160 --> 0:11:21.720 to mind first for me, most recently laaren Is first 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:25.240 night against Toronto in Tampa a few weeks back. Shots 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:28.160 weren't falling, Sixers were playing hard. Not your night. That 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:30.760 happens over the course of a season, but just you know, 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:34.000 take care of the intangibles, all that stuff, and then 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:35.679 things you know, in the long run I think will 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:38.760 ultimately break the Sixers way. So on that note, we 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.480 put Saturday's game against Cleveland. We're going to bury it, 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:44.520 deepen the time capsule, pile the sand on, get your 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:48.200 shovel and put it away. Feel that we got now 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:52.280 you have one new message, Jessica Town on Twitter, Isaiah 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.000 Joe and my opinion shows the most promise of helping 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:58.320 the Sixers in what they need the most right now. 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:00.480 Why is he the one sent to the GILEA? Do 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.960 you think there's a corresponding move. I don't view this 0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:05.520 as a negative thing at all in the least. I 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:07.439 felt like, I'm not sure if that's what Jessica contended 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.240 with her question, but this isn't a bad thing. I'll 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:12.160 start with that and then I'll follow up Lauren based 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:15.920 on whatever takes, thoughts, opinions you have on this. I 0:12:15.960 --> 0:12:19.160 think I've just become resident let's not overreact person on 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.760 this podcast. I'd like to remind folks that Isaiah is 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.200 going to join the G League bubble that is going 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.240 to end rather soon during a time where the team 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:29.599 is about to have a break. So really he's just 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:31.600 gonna go get reps. He's going to get more minutes 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:33.520 than he was getting with the Sixers. This is a 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:36.040 good thing. It means that he's going to have more 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:39.199 opportunities to sharpen his craft so that when he comes 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:41.959 back up this is a rostered player. When he comes 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:44.640 back up to the sixers, he just has more reps. 0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:46.240 His feet are more under him. I don't see this 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.920 being a bad thing in any way, to put in 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:52.640 time during what is a break for most of his 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.320 teammates outside of Ben and Joel. Of course, I say 0:12:55.360 --> 0:12:57.840 props to him for going down there, getting some minutes in, 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:00.680 getting some run in. Good for him, for the team 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.280 for having an option like that for him. I think 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:05.760 this is a great thing, and it happens every season. 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:08.480 I want to remind fans that every season, players towards 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:10.400 the bottom of the roster go down to the G 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:12.680 League to get reps. It's just what happens. It doesn't 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:14.640 mean that anything crazy is happening. It doesn't mean that 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:17.400 the walls are coming down on anyone on this team. 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:20.240 It's a good thing. I think to me, the takeaway 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:23.320 should be they want him to get reps. That's why 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.600 this is happening, and that is a positive sign for 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:27.839 Isaiah Joe. If you listen to anything that Doc has 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:30.760 said about Isaiah most recently within the past couple of 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:33.120 weeks when he's gotten some more minutes. I think they 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:36.120 really love Isaiah. They feel like he can defend. Obviously, 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:37.480 we know what he can do shooting the ball. We 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:39.760 saw a couple of games back in January when he 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:42.120 reached double figures when the seventy Sixers had so many 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.839 players out due to health and safety protocols. To me, 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:47.319 this is all good. They want Isaiah Joe to help 0:13:47.360 --> 0:13:49.599 the Blue Coats down to the bubble a because I 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:51.560 think they feel the Blue Coats have a chance to 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:53.400 make a rundown there, as we saw when they got 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:55.520 off to that seven and oz start. And I think 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:58.080 they want to keep Isaiah fresh. If he's up with 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:00.640 the Sixers, he might get playing time I'm here and there, 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:02.040 But will a few minutes at the end of a 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:05.040 game or spot duty at the NBA level help him 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:08.240 as much as just staying fresh, keeping his legs underneath him, 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:09.640 and then who knows, who knows what the Sixers do 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:11.520 with him in the second half of the season. So 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:13.520 to me, I would say, if you love Isaiah Joe 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:15.960 and you think he's got great potential, this move, to 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:19.000 me signals. The Sixers feel the exact same thing and 0:14:19.080 --> 0:14:21.200 they want him fresh. And I would add that if 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.920 you love Isaiah Joe, watch the Coats because they've played 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:26.120 some really good games down in the bubble. And if 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:28.600 you're missing your Sixers, they're about to have a full 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:32.760 week off. Check out that, check out that d ETV broadcast, 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:35.560 that Facebook live so you can tune into your Blue Coats. 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:38.920 Watch Bebaal Paul, watch Isaiah Joe. I'm gonna be doing it, 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:40.800 so if anyone wants to watch along with me, just 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:42.960 let me know. It'll be fun. And the very last 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:45.000 thing I would say about all this is, let's turn 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.520 back the clock two or three seasons ago. Remember how 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:50.720 the Sixers would utilize someone like Shake Milton, sending him 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:53.240 back and forth. And let's look where Shake Milton is 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:59.120 right now. Bingo voicemail, you have one new message. Hey, 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:01.040 I just wanted to call all and show some love. 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:03.720 I really liked the way and the the Sixers started out 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:07.040 this season. Obviously there were some high expectations coming in 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:10.120 and they really came out strong. Still some work to 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:12.040 be done, but I'm really happy with where the team's 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:14.560 at right now. So definitely have some high hopes of 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:21.520 moving forward. Let's go Sixers. Very measured voicemail bag message 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.560 right there, Lauren. Yes, they have lived up to expectations, 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.640 I would say, and by the same token, there's more 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:31.120 to do. We know Doc Rivers has the list somewhere, 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:33.680 He's got the list. Well, you know, I like to 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:35.600 remind people of this. I don't think this team has 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:37.920 just lived up to expectations. I think that at this 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:41.360 moment in time, this team is continuing to exceed expectations. 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:43.760 This was a very new group with a very new 0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:46.200 head coach, two new guys in the starting lineup, a 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:49.520 couple new guys coming in off the bench, and approaching 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.520 the halfway point, they are still leading the Eastern Conference, 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:55.560 as they have throughout in pregame chatter. You know I 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:59.120 love national media. You know I love to listen to podcasts. 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:01.880 You know I love to watch ESPN. I do it all. 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:04.000 No one was saying that the Sixers were going to 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:06.080 lead the East halfway through the season. They said they 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.840 would be in that top group, but not even necessarily 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:10.640 in those top three or four teams in the East. 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:13.600 I think expectations were a little bit maybe low for 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:17.160 this team, so yes, they met expectations, they've exceeded expectations. 0:16:17.360 --> 0:16:20.480 They're headed into the break either the first or second 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:23.080 team in the Eastern Conference, and I feel pretty good 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:25.520 about where they're at right now, and I hope that 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:27.800 the folks that are listening along. Due to one thing 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:30.200 that stood out to me Lauren after the game on Saturday, 0:16:30.680 --> 0:16:33.200 as far as postgame comments, Joel Embiid, I believe it 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:35.800 was said that he feels the Sixers should perhaps be 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:39.040 taking more threes than they are, and I would agree 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:40.520 with that. I think that's something as we look to 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:43.200 the second half, if they can find the right balance, 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:46.200 because we obviously know who the anchor of this team 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:48.560 is and it's Joe, if they can find the right balance, 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:50.560 maybe try to get up some more threes. They're a 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:52.840 pretty good shooting team from beyond the arc and around 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.600 thirty six and a half percent. They're tied for second 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:59.000 to last in the NBA with the Knicks, just in 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:01.680 front of the Cavaliers for fewest three point attempts taken 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:03.840 per one hundred possessions. So I don't think it's a 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:06.640 matter of the Sixers being necessarily a poor three point 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:08.760 shooting team. I think they're very, very good. They obviously 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:12.119 have great threats in the likes of Seth and Tobias 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:14.760 and Danny and Joel's been on this season. Get a 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:16.480 few more up, I think that'll help them against some 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:19.679 of these more potent three point shooting teams. So to me, 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:21.800 that's one of the bigger things as far as I'd 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:24.399 just be curious to see if they tried that, if 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.639 they could find a balance to strike out, it would go. 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:28.680 And I would add, as it pertains to the three 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.000 point shooting conversation, when you look at the three point 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:34.280 shooters on this team, Seth, not Danny in the list 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:36.400 that I'm that I'm about to make. But you'll see 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.040 why when you look at Seth, when you look at 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:40.199 fur Con, when you look at Mike Scott, when you 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:43.639 look at the guys that you're counting on to shoot threes, 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:47.280 Shake Milton, they've all missed time lately, and it takes 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:49.919 a minute for people to get back into rhythm. I 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.760 think the fact that those shooters have been sidelined for 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:56.080 whatever reason, we're seeing now a little bit of an 0:17:56.160 --> 0:17:58.480 uptick in the way that all of those guys are playing. 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:00.239 The fact that they're all going to have a bit 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:02.399 of a break, hopefully come back healthy. Then you'll be 0:18:02.440 --> 0:18:04.160 able to see that productivity that you saw a little 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:05.600 bit more of at the beginning of the season. I 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:07.080 don't think that the three point shooting is going to 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:08.720 be as much of a problem as maybe we're making 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:11.040