WEBVTT - Mailbag Monday | Who's Exceeded Expectations? 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.640 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:09.479 search seventy Sixers podcast wherever you get your pods. The 0:00:09.600 --> 0:00:11.920 end of the regular season is almost here, so it 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:14.640 is time for us to take some stock on the mailbag. 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:18.560 Who's exceeded expectations the most? Harris Right's like Crusoe Hanks 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.439 fire shoot that makes it and the Sixers beat the 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:25.160 Lakers on a game winning shot by Tobias Harris. We 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:28.000 got a lot of great responses from Tobias Harris to 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:31.040 Dwight Howard and even a non player as well. Plus 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:35.120 I'll give my take match again for three the logo 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:40.280 He's got thirty nine your voicemails, DMS and mentions as 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:49.040 always here on mail Bag Monday. A busy successful week 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:53.200 it was for the seventy Sixers since last week Mailbag 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:58.240 four wins in between last Monday and this Monday, and 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:01.840 the seventy Sixers are on a great tear. Season high 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:05.080 eight game winning streak continues Lauren Rosen. They get a 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:08.280 nice little lull in the schedule before gearing up for 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:11.560 their final four games of the season. They're in a 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:13.960 good spot for the number one seed. I like where 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:15.959 things are at I do as well. So its the 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:19.039 magic number as of this taping on Monday is two 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:21.479 wins to secure that one seed once and for all. 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.840 But of course Brooklyn or Milwaukee or both could help 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:28.360 out reducing that magic number of two, and based on 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:33.120 the strength of schedule Indiana Miami two against Orlando shouldn't 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:35.600 be too tall of an order. It's incredible. This is 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:39.880 our second to last mail bag Monday of the regular season. 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:44.839 It has zoomed on by this old twenty twenty twenty 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:47.680 twenty one regular season, or has it? Has it zoomed 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:50.080 or has it not? I think for me, midway through, 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:52.200 I felt like this was the longest season that has 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.960 ever existed, and now that we're on the end, I 0:01:55.040 --> 0:01:57.200 do feel like it's zoomed past. So it's been one 0:01:57.200 --> 0:02:02.360 of those long day's, short weeks types of seasons. Yeah, 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:03.800 that made sense in my head. I'm not sure if 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:09.400 it came out articulately, No, for sure. It's being honest 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:12.160 and upfront, like I feel like there's been a lot 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:14.280 this year, and there has been a lot. The games 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:18.880 have been played so frequently, essentially every other night, except 0:02:18.919 --> 0:02:20.760 for a few breaks like the one the Sixers are 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.359 in now. So in that sense, it does feel a 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:25.200 little bit long, but right you look back at it 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:28.239 and you think, well, Christmas wasn't that long ago. It 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:30.240 wasn't that long ago that my kids were opening up 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:33.720 a pink pony and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. That doesn't feel 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:35.919 too long ago. And that's when the season started. Yeah, 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:38.200 I'm with you, but I also do think like you 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:40.919 have to take into consideration, obviously the state of the world, 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:42.840 and so I think anything that's going on right now 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.239 feels a little bit more labor intensive because of everything 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:49.040 else that's going on. So it was a weird year, 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:52.800 but luckily for Sixers fans it has been nothing short 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.720 of an excellent distraction from whatever else is going on. 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:57.239 All right, Lauren, what do we do for this week's 0:02:57.240 --> 0:02:59.160 mail bag Monday? Do we talk about which players have 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:01.959 exceeded expects or do we focus on how flawed the 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:04.120 seventy sixers have been during an eight game winning streak. 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:06.560 It's a hard decision to make. I'm kicking it back 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:08.400 and forth. I'm not sure which direction we should go in. 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.799 I was wondering if you could help salts Wow. So 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.200 early on a Monday morning, I'm okay with listen. I read. 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:20.280 I read, I'm a consumer of respected beacons of media 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:22.360 and journalism. So I saw that and I was like, well, 0:03:22.400 --> 0:03:25.280 maybe I need to just take a breath and reconsider 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:27.160 what we're doing for the mail bag this week. Well, 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:29.239 I'd be happy to just bring it home and say 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:32.480 that genuinely, I would prefer to talk about players that 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:35.680 have exceeded expectations this season. Yeah, we're the Sunshines and 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:37.760 Rainbows Pod. That's what we are, and that's what we're 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:43.640 gonna do. So let's get the mail bag going. You 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.760 have one new message. How do we do mailbag Monday? 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:48.760 It is quite simple. We encourage you to call the 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:53.680 podline any day, anytime, whenever two four zero three seven 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:57.000 six three seven two on five four zero three pods. 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.000 Leave us your thought, take, inquiry, opinion, whatever it is 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.600 about the seventy sixers. As long as it's kosher, we're 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:04.280 going to play it and then we'll send you some swag. 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:07.720 Or you can reach out to myself and Lauren Rosen 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:11.200 on social I'm at Brian Seltzer on Twitter, Seltzer six 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.720 or snaps on Instagram. Lauren Rosen makes it very easy 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:17.719 for you, Lauren m Rosen. On both platforms, leave us 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:20.440 a mention a DM and we'll run that off as well. 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:23.640 We also have our Sunday sticker question on the at 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:28.120 Sixers Instagram story, which this week was which seventy sixer 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:32.960 this season has exceeded expectations? Before we really dive deep 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:35.440 into the bag, Lauren, do you want to get us started? 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:39.039 Do you have a player in mind? I do. I 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:41.440 think I wonder if we're gonna have the same player. 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.039 I mean, I have a few in mind, but I 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:46.320 think right off the bat, someone who maybe hasn't gotten 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:49.400 enough love lately or throughout the course of his career. 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:51.520 I think I'm gonna have to go with Tobias Harris. 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.400 I think that we knew what Tobias could do, and 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.560 people hoped that his reunion with Doc, the addition of 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:01.479 more shooters some changes to the lineups would unlock another 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.200 level for Tobias. But I'm not sure that people expected 0:05:04.240 --> 0:05:06.720 it too. And from the very beginning of the season 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:09.240 all the way through, he's been nothing but solid. He's 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:11.159 talked about wanting to be a closer. He's been a 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:14.479 closer early in the season, late in the season, regardless 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:17.719 of who's been available. He's been overall the durable Tobias 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.680 Harris that we're used to seeing, but with more efficiency, 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:23.840 a little more pop, a little more swagger, and I've really, 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:26.400 I've really enjoyed. So I don't necessarily think that he's 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:30.760 skyrocketed over expectations. Tobias. Luckily, you do know what you're 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.120 getting with a player like him. But he has been 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.360 I think more than people necessarily expected him to be, 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:38.560 especially considering the other star power on his team. So 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:42.360 I'm gonna go with Tobias. It wasn't necessarily the I'm 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.440 gonna go with Tobias, What about you? I also had 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:48.320 to Bias number one on my list. I'm going to 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:50.440 reserve my comments on it and I'll just try and 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:53.200 sprinkle them in when we hear from other people, because 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:57.400 they too, there was a lot of love for Tobias. Alrighty, 0:05:57.680 --> 0:05:59.920 let us get to our first entry in this week 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:05.799 mail bag, and sure enough, John Nail's J fifty seven 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:09.360 John Nellian on Twitter says, Tobias is the seventy sixer 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:12.680 who has exceeded my expectations this season. Everybody was ready 0:06:12.680 --> 0:06:15.320 to trade him last season. This season he should have 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:19.599 been an All Star and the guy it's like guests 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:22.440 who didn't vote for Tobias. That's in my favorite game 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:24.240 in the second half of the season to play because 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:26.640 you can tell when he has that little extra gone. 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.080 It makes you think, Billy Donovan, did that guy vote 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.440 for Tobias? I don't know. The way Tobias played against 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:33.599 the Bulls, seems like you had something to prove. I'm 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:36.480 with you as well. I've enjoyed the fact that Tobias 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:38.920 has a list of names that he's coming for. I 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:42.400 think that it's been an interesting spite motivator, and I'm 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.960 all about motivation. Hey, whatever you need to do. Ten 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:48.839 seasons in this league, long season's, short seasons, condense season, 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:51.080 spread out seasons, He's been through a lot. If that 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:53.600 works for you, by all means, Tobias, go get him, 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:55.479 prove him wrong. He's been doing it all year long, 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:59.000 and I've appreciated it. Let's run a couple numbers here. 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:02.920 Tobias's average for the season as of Monday, nineteen and 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:05.279 a half points in thirty two and a half minutes 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:08.600 per game, shooting just over fifty one and a half percent. 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:12.920 That is a career high shooting over forty percent from three. 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:16.240 This is the second time for a full season is 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:19.520 his career that he's shot better than forty percent from three, 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:22.040 nearly ninety percent from the free throw and he's just 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.080 a bid over eighty nine right now. That is also 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:26.720 a career high. And he's been doing great. Three point 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:29.720 six assists, that's the best in his career. And also 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:33.040 he's tying a career high with point nine steals per game, 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:34.960 so just about a steal per game. But I think 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:37.160 right numbers are one thing. You can look at that 0:07:37.240 --> 0:07:41.840 and they're really impressive. He's bidding for a potential twenty 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:46.480 fifty forty ninety split season, which would be insane. But 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:49.360 the eye test, I think is probably the most instructive 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:51.360 here long. You can just look at him and where 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:53.600 he's shown up in games, what he's done on the 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.120 defensive end of the floor, some matchups he's excelled in. 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:58.920 It's just been an all around awesome year for should 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.480 have been an all start Tobias Harris and all of 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:04.400 that without mentioning the fact that he is an excellent 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:07.240 leader that does a really good job of taking young 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:11.400 players and let's say mid veteran players alike under his wing, 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:14.520 making sure they feel comfortable, making sure they understand the system. 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:16.320 We heard in training camp that he was the Doc 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:20.320 Rivers translator, helping guys get up to speed with Doc's style. 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:22.840 We knew from the moment he got to Philadelphia that 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:25.040 he was a big influence on young players. We saw 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:26.840 it with Mattise Bible last season, We've seen it with 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:29.280 Tyres Maxie this season. It's been a pleasure to watch 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:31.120 him as a leader, and I think that this season, 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:34.600 adding Danny Green, adding Dwight Howard, now adding George Hill, 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:36.839 there are other leadership voices in the locker room. He 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:39.160 doesn't have to take it on all by himself, and 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:40.719 it means that we've gotten to see him have a 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:43.080 little bit more fun with leadership. You see him cracking 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:46.840 more jokes, you see him smiling during warmups. There's more 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:50.520 joy coming from Tobias, and I think a joyous leader 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.520 in Tobias is something that we maybe haven't quite seen 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:55.480 yet because he takes his job so seriously and he 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:57.520 should be commended for that. It's been cool to see 0:08:57.600 --> 0:08:59.760 him settle in and be comfortable and there's just a 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:01.959 lot of joy there. And I really enjoyed watching that. 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:03.880 I couldn't agree with you more. You can tell that 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:07.120 he's found a great way to balance the serious side 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.800 of things and in terms of just being able to 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:15.240 continue wearing that leadership mantle, but he's also done a 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:17.600 great job of mixing it up a little bit and 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.880 having fun. When you dig deeper, Lauren, into some of 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:22.840 these numbers, when you get into some of the quote 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:26.320 unquote advanced metrics, that's when it reveals itself just how 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:28.559 good of a season Tobias is having. And you can 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:30.199 make the case that even though he's not averaging the 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:32.679 highest point totally has in his career, that he's having 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:35.560 the most efficient season of his career. His true shooting 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:39.439 percentage is over sixty percent, his net rating personal net 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:42.720 rating is in double figures right around there. So he's 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:46.199 just been such a complete player this season and so 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:50.080 much fun to watch. Our mail bag question who has 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:56.199 exceeded expectations this season? A letter eleven on Instagram says, 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:59.680 Tobias after a down year last year, he's been outstanding. 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:01.960 Actually down the stretch, I think last year he had 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:04.679 an okay season, a pretty good season in the playoffs. 0:10:04.679 --> 0:10:06.079 I feel like That's what a lot of people were 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:07.960 clinging onto that it was a tough playoffs, just like 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:10.559 it was for the entire team, that Tobias ended the 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:13.480 season on a tough note. But the one thing that 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:16.960 A Letter eleven points out that, especially down the stretch, 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.439 Tobias has been great. He has proven, like you said, 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.319 Lauren a few minutes ago, to be a bona fide closer. 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:24.760 Just look at what he did most recently in that 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:28.080 Pelicans game, two go ahead baskets and the eventual game 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:31.040 winner on the corner three to clinch the game. Yeah, 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:33.199 and I know I say it a lot on this program, 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:37.319 on our pregame show seven six Live, but it's something 0:10:37.360 --> 0:10:40.080 that he's expressed he's wanted to be able to do 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:42.439 since he got to the seventy six ers now over 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:45.400 two years ago. He's wanted to be that guy. He's 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:47.840 set the bar for himself and he's finally reaching it. 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:50.920 On a regular basis. You feel really comfortable with the 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:53.600 ball in Tobias's hand late in games, and that's on 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:56.160 a team that has Ben Simmons, has Joel Embiid, has 0:10:56.160 --> 0:10:58.600 some really good options. Danny Green has been great late 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:00.880 in games for this team. But for Tobias to be 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:05.480 a primary, secondary, third option in a late in game scenario, 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:07.760 game on the line, you just trust him and that's 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:10.160 what he's wanted and that's what he's accomplished. So all 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:14.120 the credit to him for becoming that guy. For seventy 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:17.400 sixers who play heavy minutes. The plus minus for Tobias 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:21.800 and fourth quarters this season is second, just behind Shake 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:24.800 Milton by a tenth of a point. Tobias behind Joel 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:27.000 second on the Sixers and scoring in the fourth quarter, 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:30.080 averaging five and a half fourth quarter points per game. 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:32.959 He's shooting fifty one and a half percent in fourth quarters. 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:37.840 His three point percentage amazing, nearly fifty four percent. He's 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:40.240 gotten to the line of bits, so he has been 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:43.520 someone who has looked right at home taking big shots 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:47.439 and also making them. I was just trying to think, 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:50.480 Lauren and do an inventory of big fourth quarter games 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:54.880 for Tobias. Obviously the winner against the Lakers. The Pelicans 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:58.640 game was big early in the season. I kind of 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:02.199 remember Boston, he showed up late the first might have 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:05.840 been the first home game against Boston. I was trying 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:08.960 to kick kick my brain. I mean, I'll pull up 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:11.160 I'll pull up some metrics for the next pod, but 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:14.240 I know for a fact as someone that does postgame recap, right, 0:12:14.360 --> 0:12:16.480 there have been a lot of times this season where 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:19.720 the team scores ten, twelve, twenty four points in the 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:22.720 final period and Tobias scores a majority of the team's 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.240 points in the final period. I've written it a bunch 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:28.040 of times, so I can go and find exactly when. 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:31.200 But it's very common that he is upping or even 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:33.840 if he has a slower start, he's upping his productivity 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:35.800 in the fourth quarter. He's not maintaining what he's doing, 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:38.320 He's doing more, and I think that that's really impressive 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.040 and worth a shoutout and worth better statistics than what 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:42.520 I was able to give you just now. I think 0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:44.440 Nick's game. In Nick's home game, I feel like he 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:46.920 had a couple of big shots. Like bottom line is, 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:49.520 we've seen enough to know in our gut, and then 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:52.440 also citing some evidence, Tobias Harris has been big in 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:55.120 the fourth quarter and I think that bodeswell. Can't wait 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:58.520 to see how that translates to the playoff. The Knicks 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:01.160 home game was the I'm in All Star game. Yes, 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:05.880 that's right, of course, and yes he was elite in 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:09.320 that one down the stretch. How could we forget the 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:13.960 meme now scene round the social world. He deserved it. 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:17.600 Should have been an All Star next season, Yes, the 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:22.800 season before the season I underscore Justin, I says, by 0:13:22.920 --> 0:13:25.080 far to Bias, is the sixer who has exceeded my 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.240 expectations the most. He's become one of the most consistent 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:31.640 and efficient players in the league, no doubts. Moving on, 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:35.840 you have one new message, Jason underscore two hundred. Who 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:38.240 has been the Sixer who's exceeded your expectations the most? 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:42.720 I think, Well, I'll just say Joel Embiid was Jason's answer, 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:44.880 having an MVP level year and helping his team to 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:46.800 be a top five team in the NBA right now. 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:49.640 I think that of all the players in the Sixers roster, 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:52.960 the bar was set the highest by Joel coming into 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:57.120 this season. But he has, to his credit, played at 0:13:57.160 --> 0:13:58.800 such a high level that I think Joel is a 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.560 very fair answer for this. Joel can totally be an answer. 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.480 I guess maybe the spirit of the question was thinking 0:14:04.520 --> 0:14:09.200 of some of the maybe non Joel, anyone but Joel. 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:11.200 But I think Joel's a fair answer, because he's been 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:12.800 so good well, and the more I think about it 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:16.199 selfs the more I feel like there aren't many wrong answers. 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:19.240 I think there are seven, eight nine players that could 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:22.160 be correct answers to this question, and those that I 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:24.760 didn't mention have also been very good. I mean, this 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:26.720 is a team that's been holding down the one seed 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:29.000 for the majority of this season. Whether or not they've 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:32.880 gotten credit for that fact is up to other people, 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:35.480 not up to us. But Joel, of course, has been 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:38.280 the leader of it all. We knew that he had 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:41.360 the potential to be this good. I don't know that 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:44.280 people expected him to actually reach this level and then 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:47.440 maintain it for a whole season, but he absolutely has 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:51.400 so to me, I think the sustained productivity, the sustained 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:54.680 MVP level play. We've seen flashes of excellence from Joel 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:57.440 throughout his entire career, but being able to see him 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:00.520 string an entire season together where he's been the good 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.080 has been a pleasure, and I understand how that could 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:07.440 exceed expectations just because of how long the streak has lasted, 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:11.200 and he's not showing any signs of slowing down. It's interesting, Lauren, 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.200 where last week when the winning streak started, there were 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:16.040 a handful of games that you could look at and say, 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:19.280 wasn't it awesome to see some other guys, with the 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:23.760 exception of Joel, be the dominant primary forces in a game. 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:26.520 And it's funny how we can talk about Let's say 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:31.280 Joel having a seventeen seven and three block game against 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:33.920 Atlanta is being pedestrian for him, or eighteen and six 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.680 in the second game against Atlanta and say that's pedestrian. 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:40.680 But the last three games, he scored one hundred points 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:44.200 in eighty one minutes. That's nearly a point and a 0:15:44.280 --> 0:15:47.440 quarter per minute, and he has come back with inventions. 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:51.680 Just to re mind everyone if they're contemplating talking about 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:53.640 media members in the NBA who they're going to vote for, 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.920 just how dominance and much of a force he can be. 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:00.480 He's been awesome the last three games. Well, it's been interesting, 0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:03.280 Cells because his only complaint is that he hasn't been 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:06.480 required to play more minutes. He hasn't needed to be 0:16:06.560 --> 0:16:10.080 out there long term in these lopsided victories. And I 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:13.160 think if that's what you're complaining about, you're probably in 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:15.600 pretty good shape. And as you said, the per minute 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:17.280 numbers that he's been able to put up in the 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:19.880 time that he has been a useful person on the 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:23.120 court is certainly worth a little bit of praise. As 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:28.320 of Monday, the player Impact Estimate rankings according to stats 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:31.840 dot NBA dot com go as follows Joel Embiid right 0:16:31.880 --> 0:16:35.720 at the top twenty point eight, Nicola Yokich at nineteen 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:41.640 point nine, Janis at nineteen point seven. So some good 0:16:41.680 --> 0:16:46.760 stuff right there. Joel the highest impact player in the league, 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:50.040 and it's worth noting that he's the highest impact player 0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:52.400 on the best team of those that you listed, So 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:56.120 let's just throw that out there. Yes, I think that 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.920 is a great point. It is time to go to 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:04.240 to the podline for the first time on the program. 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:07.520 You have one new message. Hi, the question I had 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:11.440 about a player exceeding their's expectations, it's real simple. It's 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:14.320 Dwight Howard at the start of the season, and everybody 0:17:14.320 --> 0:17:17.320 worry about what type of players we get when we 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:21.520 get the White Howard after we left Orlando, or will 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:23.720 we get to Dwight Howard at the beginning of his 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:26.200 career in Orlando. Well, we got a little bit of 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:30.200 both this year and Thankfully we got a backup center 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:33.720 that we could trust to help help Joe well during 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:36.879 the season. He may have been the biggest acquisition so 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:41.199 far of the year. Thanks Hi. I don't disagree with 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:44.320 that lofty praise for Dwight Howard because what's been a 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:47.320 theme that's recurred, unfortunately for the Sixers the past couple 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.080 of seasons when they've gotten the playoffs. Who's backing up 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.320 to L and B. To take nothing away from previous 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:54.720 guys who are here, but Dwight has been playing at 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:56.879 a different level than what the seventy Sixers had before, 0:17:56.920 --> 0:17:58.920 coming off one of his best and most productive games 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:02.080 of the season again it's Detroit on Saturday with nineteen 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.800 and fourteen. He has really turned it on Laine during 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:07.480 the eight game win streak. The Dwight Howard experience has 0:18:07.520 --> 0:18:10.479 been nothing short of amazing. It's been really cool to 0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:13.199 watch him, obviously playing, like you said, playing some of 0:18:13.200 --> 0:18:16.080 the best basketball of his season, if not, let's say 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.919 the latter half of his career. This maybe is the 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:21.920 best basketball he's played during that sort of second act. 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:25.680 He's been wonderful. He is You just feel really comfortable 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:28.879 with him now backing Joel up no shade, of course 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:30.840 to the likes of Greg Monroe, but that was the 0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:33.480 last time the Sixers had a long playoff run, and 0:18:33.520 --> 0:18:36.720 he was relied upon pretty heavily in that run. I 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:40.680 take Dwight Howard happily as my option heading into this playoffs, 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:44.480 and that's all without talking about the vibes, the leadership, 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:47.400 the joy that he brings to the court every day 0:18:47.440 --> 0:18:50.160 that by all accounts, he brings to practice with this 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:54.359 team every day. He's a source of light, of fun, 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:57.000 and it's been really really cool to watch him make 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.840 this team his own, coming off the heels of a 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:03.760 really strenuous season in LA. He's just he's done everything 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:06.399 asked of him and more, and I think it's been 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:09.200 really cool to watch. He has looked as fresh as 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:11.959 fresh could be for a guy who's thirty five and one. 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:15.040 On that deep run last year, Nick underscore Buck zero two, 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:18.000 zero five says Dwight's been in near prime form. Pe 0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:21.960 McCarthy seventy two says Dwight Howard's exceeded my expectations the most. 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:25.760 A rebounding machine whose enthusiasm for the game is infectious. Vibes. 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:28.240 Do you have a favorite Dwight Vibe moment this year, 0:19:28.320 --> 0:19:31.320 Lauren oh Man put me on the spot, why don't 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:34.399 you think? I think for me, it has to be 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:38.280 the early season that by all accounts was was shut 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.920 down because they were working too hard. But Dwight coming 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:44.359 out with the young guys to shoot postgame early in 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:47.119 the year when he could have been exhausted from the 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:50.400 season prior. He's taken all the young fellas under his wing. 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:53.280 He's taken Ben Simmons under his wing, and seeing them 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:57.000 put in an extra time together, especially working on parts 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:59.960 of his game that Dwight at least doesn't really need 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:02.160 to be working on, to be putting an extra time 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.919 shooting and then just being with those guys. I know 0:20:04.960 --> 0:20:07.320 that that might not be like a specific Vibes moment, 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:09.280 but I think it's set the tone for what was 0:20:09.320 --> 0:20:12.600 to come. And now you see young players really warming 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:14.480 up to Dwight, and I think it's because of the 0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:18.120 tone he set early. Dwight doesn't have to be out 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:20.840 there shooting around postgame, but he was doing it for 0:20:21.080 --> 0:20:23.199 those young guys, and I think that that left a 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:25.760