Speaker 1: This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network
Speaker 1: search seventy Sixers Insiders wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome
Speaker 1: back to the seventy Sixers Insiders podcast. I'm Matt Murphy
Speaker 1: and on this episode, Lauren Rosen and I sit down
Speaker 1: with new Sixer Dylan McDaniels, who was acquired from Charlotte
Speaker 1: at the trade deadline, where in Charlotte he was averaging
Speaker 1: over ten points per game career highs across the board.
Speaker 1: We talk about when he found out about the trade,
Speaker 1: where he was that whole process, discuss first impressions of
Speaker 1: his new Sixers teammates, and a whole lot more. So
Speaker 1: here we go, Jaylen McDaniels, Welcome to Philadelphia and welcome
Speaker 1: to the podcast. Thank you all for having me. You
Speaker 1: know it was good to be here. We are happy
Speaker 1: to have you here. This is the first question, but
Speaker 1: I know we already asked in media, but I'm hoping
Speaker 1: maybe you can give us a little more background. Logistically,
Speaker 1: I'm always very curious about how trades work. So we
Speaker 1: know you were on the road, maybe at practice or whatever,
Speaker 1: but can you sort of take us through, like step
Speaker 1: by step, what exactly happens when one gets traded and
Speaker 1: finds out. So pretty much, We're on a two game
Speaker 1: road trips, so like four days. Where did we go first?
Speaker 1: Like maybe we went somewhere first, and then we ended
Speaker 1: up in Boston to play Boston. And the trade deadline
Speaker 1: is like the next day. So the day before I
Speaker 1: wake up and we have shoot around, which is the
Speaker 1: next day, and everything was cool, you know, like in
Speaker 1: the past, like my agent was telling me, like, your
Speaker 1: name is gonna be in trade talks or whatever, and
Speaker 1: I was like okay, so boom, now it's trade deadline day,
Speaker 1: mass shoot around, just chilling, like everything felt normal. I
Speaker 1: guess I was watching film. Yeah, everything was normal. I
Speaker 1: didn't getting know, like weird vibes or like if I'm
Speaker 1: gonna get traded or anything like that. And I didn't
Speaker 1: even think I was because like the Hornets, we just
Speaker 1: never like really made any trade since I've been there.
Speaker 1: So I was like, all right, maybe I'm just gonna
Speaker 1: be here, so I have to shoot around, get on
Speaker 1: the bus. My agents like call me, so I'm like, oh,
Speaker 1: maybe he just wants I honestly didn't think I was
Speaker 1: gonna get traded, so I'm like all right, he's probably
Speaker 1: gonna talk about like we're talking having conversation about what
Speaker 1: the team and future and stuff like that. So I'm
Speaker 1: all right, it's probably about that. So he's like, oh well,
Speaker 1: he's like I call him. I'm like, bro, what's up.
Speaker 1: He's like, uh, like, Bro, you're going to Philly. Like
Speaker 1: I'm like like wait, Like I was like so confused.
Speaker 1: I didn't even know how to answer them, like for real,
Speaker 1: like right now. He's like yeah, bro, like you're not
Speaker 1: playing tonight, like you're going to Philly. They want you
Speaker 1: there tonight or end up getting here the next morning.
Speaker 1: I was like okay, Like it was just a lot
Speaker 1: going on, Like my teammates like they seen it on Twitter,
Speaker 1: so they're looking back at me and I'm on the
Speaker 1: phone and I'm like, I'm really going to Philly now
Speaker 1: Because everybody's looking at me, like Jay, you see this,
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh wow, like I'm really traded, like I'm
Speaker 1: on another team. So then after that, yeah, I got
Speaker 1: off the bus, said by yeah, then I had to
Speaker 1: talk to a lot of people. The bus was on
Speaker 1: the move while you're on the bus was on the move,
Speaker 1: Like I'm on the way back to the hotel, so
Speaker 1: my agents like call me, but like I'm on the bus,
Speaker 1: so I'm like I can't really talk, Like I'm over
Speaker 1: here trying to like sinking down in my seat because
Speaker 1: I'm like trying to be low key. And your teammates
Speaker 1: are scrolling Twitter, Yeah, scrolling Twitter, and they're like what.
Speaker 1: They're like, they're saying my name. They're like jay Like Jayleen,
Speaker 1: You're a getting traded. I'm like what. Then five seconds
Speaker 1: later agent tells me all right, Yeah, it's it's such
Speaker 1: an interesting disruption because for people that don't know, like
Speaker 1: being on the road, it's sort of like groundhog Day,
Speaker 1: Like you wake up in a different city every day,
Speaker 1: Like you just said, you don't even remember what you're in.
Speaker 1: But you do the same routine, right, You wake up breakfast,
Speaker 1: you go to shoot around, and you come back, you
Speaker 1: take your nap, you do whatever. It's like the same
Speaker 1: thing every day, and so I feel like it must
Speaker 1: have been really interesting to wake up thinking you were
Speaker 1: gonna have a normal day and then your life just
Speaker 1: like pans like, yeah, I don't even think I went
Speaker 1: to eat breakfast, Like I didn't even go to the team.
Speaker 1: It was like kind of weird after that, Like it
Speaker 1: wasn't weird, but it's just like, can I still go
Speaker 1: to the get food? You know, then got kicked up
Speaker 1: the chat? Can you go get food? I mean, I
Speaker 1: don't know, I didn't go. I was like maybe I
Speaker 1: got jump in here kicked out of the group chat
Speaker 1: pretty quick, not like I don't want to say it
Speaker 1: sounding bad, but yeah I did. That's how it works though,
Speaker 1: And then you got but then you got added to
Speaker 1: a new group chat, so like, keep keep, give us
Speaker 1: the rest of the thread of what happens next. Um
Speaker 1: pretty oh wow, that's so I get what happens. I'm chilling. Honestly,
Speaker 1: there was some funny stuff going on in the group chat,
Speaker 1: and I responded, I'm responded like laughing. The next thing,
Speaker 1: you know, it just says you left the chat. I'm like,
Speaker 1: oh yeah, it feel like damn, I didn't remove myself.
Speaker 1: I just got removed like I was in mid conversation.
Speaker 1: But it's all good, brutal, So okay, wait, but then
Speaker 1: continue filling in the timeline though. So you're in the hotel,
Speaker 1: You're obviously not gonna get on the bus to go
Speaker 1: to the Hornets game. You're gonna make plans to come
Speaker 1: to Philly, and then at what point do you get
Speaker 1: added to the Sixers group? Chat? Literally, so next morning
Speaker 1: I wake up, I think we got a game. I
Speaker 1: get a text like shoot around this time at the Camden.
Speaker 1: I'm like, what is that? Like the camp. I don't
Speaker 1: even know where that is. I never heard of that.
Speaker 1: So I got here and kJ he met me, and
Speaker 1: then like we did like physicals and yeah, talked to Doc,
Speaker 1: just met everyone, and then yeah, that was pretty much
Speaker 1: the transition. Yes, Jaylen, Welcome to the Sixers. Welcome to
Speaker 1: the seventy Sixers Insiders podcast. From my seat over here,
Speaker 1: I'm sure we'll talk a little bit more about your
Speaker 1: younger brother, Jaden of the Minnesota Timberwolves. But when it
Speaker 1: comes to the reaction to the trade, what did your
Speaker 1: brother Jaden? What did he think about you joining the Sixers?
Speaker 1: He was just like, Bro, that's crazy. Like you we
Speaker 1: always talked about, like you want to be on a
Speaker 1: winning team like playoffs, like being able to win a
Speaker 1: championship and stuff like that. So he was like, Bro,
Speaker 1: are you really over there like them guys, Like it's
Speaker 1: your time now, like to add your value to the
Speaker 1: game and stuff. Like that. So a lot of people
Speaker 1: are excited for me, just happy like that he finally
Speaker 1: got an opportunity like to be on a better team
Speaker 1: stuff like that. What stands out to you about this roster?
Speaker 1: It's just vets, like real vets, Like dudes like I
Speaker 1: played two K with when I was a younger, Like
Speaker 1: literally like looked up to them like I'm with them
Speaker 1: like in the locker room. Like it's kind of crazy.
Speaker 1: So who did you play us? Like James? Okay, see
Speaker 1: when I left hand like dunks Joe like Tobias Pje. Well,
Speaker 1: it's interesting that you say that because Shake grew up
Speaker 1: in Oklahoma and played as James and t K. Like
Speaker 1: what what is that like to to sort of have
Speaker 1: those first interactions? And I imagine from a confidence perspective,
Speaker 1: like at a certain point you have to like pull
Speaker 1: your own seat up at the table right and like
Speaker 1: be right there with him. What are those internal conversations
Speaker 1: like to figure out how to turn someone that you
Speaker 1: idolized into a peer. It's just like, honestly, for me,
Speaker 1: it's more like just gaining my respect like on the court,
Speaker 1: like uh, like I'm really I really I talk, but
Speaker 1: I don't really talk a lot. So it's just like
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna like go up to get like I'm
Speaker 1: not trying to sound we were like trying to like
Speaker 1: create a lot of conversation. Like that's just like not me,
Speaker 1: I guess, but like on the back on the court, lit,
Speaker 1: I feel like that would give me, get me comfortable
Speaker 1: to get to that so like just I guess, gaining
Speaker 1: my respect on the court then talking to guys like
Speaker 1: they see how I can play, and just getting comfortable
Speaker 1: with each other that way instead of like it's like, oh,
Speaker 1: just I don't know how it goes. Guys don't want
Speaker 1: to be talking like all the time. I know how
Speaker 1: it goes, you know. So it's also this part of
Speaker 1: the season too, like people are trying to get to
Speaker 1: the break and like I get it, and it's cool
Speaker 1: to want to earn your respect to sort of build
Speaker 1: a relationship that way, Like I haven't thought about it
Speaker 1: like that before. A good point about the All Star
Speaker 1: break though, that'll allow you to maybe ease the transition
Speaker 1: a bit more with some time off yeah coming up,
Speaker 1: hopefully you can get some logistical things. Yeah, I don't know,
Speaker 1: So that's what I'm Yeah, not really a break, but
Speaker 1: kind of gotta take care of a lot of stuff
Speaker 1: coming into Philly. Now for context for people that are listening,
Speaker 1: we're recording this the morning after the first time you
Speaker 1: played in Philadelphia. What was it like to play in
Speaker 1: front of those fans, not for the first time, but
Speaker 1: for the first time as your fans? Um When I
Speaker 1: was subbing in there like home debut, Like I never
Speaker 1: like never heard people cheer that loud for me, like ever,
Speaker 1: So it was kind of like crazy, I'm like okay,
Speaker 1: like or I'm one eight okay. So and it was
Speaker 1: sold out, like it's a big arena. Everyone's there every night.
Speaker 1: You never know what stars you're gonna see. Like it's
Speaker 1: just like a vibe here, like you're in Philly, like
Speaker 1: you're on a big stage, I would say. And then
Speaker 1: on the court, it was cool to see your first
Speaker 1: bucket as a sixer came from Tyrese and he talks
Speaker 1: a lot. He's one of the fastest guys, not just
Speaker 1: on this team but in the league. He was talking
Speaker 1: about your speed and developing quicker chemistry with you. What's
Speaker 1: it been like to play with him? You know, I
Speaker 1: feel like me I can just play all guys you
Speaker 1: know Tyrese, he gets buckets like he does everything, plays
Speaker 1: d you know he's gonna play hard and a lot
Speaker 1: of energy. So me just feeding off him, and I say,
Speaker 1: me and him being in actions together, you know we
Speaker 1: can compliment each other with our speed and just quickness.
Speaker 1: I guess you could say yeah. With the Hornets this season,
Speaker 1: you were averaging career highs in nearly all statistical categories.
Speaker 1: After a few seasons there where do you think that
Speaker 1: you improved the most as a player. I always say
Speaker 1: it's just like all around, just my all around game,
Speaker 1: like being more comfortable out there offensively coming off screens,
Speaker 1: get into my spots, and like taking the shots that
Speaker 1: I know I can make that I worked on. So
Speaker 1: it's just like having that confidence from from work is
Speaker 1: so hard on these things. So not only were you
Speaker 1: averaging career has, you had a career high twenty six
Speaker 1: against the Celtics, which is pretty recent at this point.
Speaker 1: Shot nine of fifteen, five for seven from three, made
Speaker 1: all three of your free throws. How did that game feel?
Speaker 1: It was? It was a great game. It's like I
Speaker 1: didn't even have no plays call for me or nothing
Speaker 1: like that. I was just out there playing and like, honestly,
Speaker 1: I was getting a lot of shots and I was
Speaker 1: just I was hitting my shots, honestly, and I'm capable
Speaker 1: of I'm capable of doing that a lot. So the
Speaker 1: boss swings a lot here, so you know it's gonna
Speaker 1: be a lot of that, a lot of a lot
Speaker 1: of open shots for me, a lot of cuts, and
Speaker 1: there's a lot of ways from you to score. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you mentioned being able to score without having plays drawn
Speaker 1: up for you, and that's actually something that Doc shared
Speaker 1: with the general media after you guys met that that's
Speaker 1: something that you're comfortable with. And obviously, when you play
Speaker 1: on a team that has two MVP caliber players, multiple
Speaker 1: All Stars, the veterans that you just mentioned, Doc sort
Speaker 1: of said like, yeah, you're not going to really have
Speaker 1: plays drawn up for you, but the fact that you're
Speaker 1: comfortable playing in that environment is something that really impressed him.
Speaker 1: And then after you played for the first time in Brooklyn,
Speaker 1: his takeaway don't know if you heard this yet, but
Speaker 1: his takeaway was immediately he said, oh, Jalen's gonna be
Speaker 1: so helpful for him. What does it feel like to
Speaker 1: know that your new head coach only needed to see
Speaker 1: you play for a few minutes to understand that that
Speaker 1: you're going to be a helpful piece here. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: it feels good just see like Doc rivers like a goat,
Speaker 1: like he really knows a game. So like just to
Speaker 1: get that praise, like yeah, it honestly, it just makes
Speaker 1: you want to just go harder. Like coach believes in me.
Speaker 1: I just got here, like he just he's seen a
Speaker 1: small sample size. So it's like with that confidence that
Speaker 1: he gives me, I just gotta I feel like that's
Speaker 1: only right that I'm bringing the energy every night, like
Speaker 1: and on the defensive side, just bring that energy. A
Speaker 1: lot of people have asked how you've adjusted offensively or
Speaker 1: how you've adjusted to defense and like play calls and
Speaker 1: stuff like that, but I think like it's not necessarily
Speaker 1: going up to your teammates and directly asking them things.
Speaker 1: It's kind of just like once the ball goes up,
Speaker 1: you're just in it, right, And there's a lot of
Speaker 1: stuff that's similar between a lot of the teams in
Speaker 1: the league. Also, yeah, a lot of stuff is similar.
Speaker 1: It's just like different terminology, honestly, like the words. So
Speaker 1: me getting that down defensively was easy. Honestly, but offensively,
Speaker 1: it's whole other stories. It's a lot of plays, a
Speaker 1: lot of yeah, a lot of variations, but it's like
Speaker 1: all the same stuff, just different words, like I'm gonna
Speaker 1: get it, so I'm gonna be good. But like it's
Speaker 1: like learning to speak a new language. Literally, like now,
Speaker 1: it's like learning to speak a new language, but like
Speaker 1: you know it, but you don't because you don't You're
Speaker 1: familiar with the concept, but you don't know how to
Speaker 1: articulates like words. It would be like words meaning something else. Well,
Speaker 1: it's interesting even watching, like as I sort of piece
Speaker 1: things together as someone that never played, I'll under I'll
Speaker 1: watch the action and then I'll hear what it's called,
Speaker 1: and then in my head I'll be like, Okay, that
Speaker 1: was called something else last year, and I can imagine
Speaker 1: that that's the same thing for you. It's like they're
Speaker 1: using a certain piece of jargon to describe something that
Speaker 1: you know how to do, but you don't know that
Speaker 1: they correlate to each other. Yeah, but eventually, like you
Speaker 1: have to imagine that the more times you hear it
Speaker 1: this way and then do it this way, you'll be
Speaker 1: able to figure it out. We talked about the break
Speaker 1: coming up, you talked about being really excited to participate
Speaker 1: on a playoff team. What do you anticipate about the
Speaker 1: stretch run and competing to try to be the last
Speaker 1: team standing. Um, I've never been to the playoffs, so honestly,
Speaker 1: I'm just anticipating what I hear. Like, the atmosphere is crazy.
Speaker 1: Every play matters like it's real out there, Like it's
Speaker 1: real physical, like it's like do or die. So I'm
Speaker 1: ready for this, seems everybody says it's so fun, like
Speaker 1: get the wings, like it means a lot more So
Speaker 1: if you love the energy last night, you're gonna love
Speaker 1: the energy. Yeah, I know it's gonna be even like wow,
Speaker 1: so even more defense because this year there's been all
Speaker 1: these record scoring games and twenty point games and thirty
Speaker 1: point games. Everybody locks down, come come playoff time, right, So,
Speaker 1: three plus seasons into your NBA career, looking back when
Speaker 1: you got picked in twenty nineteen, number fifty two of all,
Speaker 1: what was Draft night like? Man? Draft Night? Honestly, draft
Speaker 1: night like if I had the NBA work as a
Speaker 1: few teams said they're gonna take me at certain numbers
Speaker 1: stuff like that or whatever. So Draft night yeah, draft
Speaker 1: night was kind of weak. It wasn't weak, but it
Speaker 1: was just like I didn't know nothing, like I don't
Speaker 1: know what. Like I'm just like here just waiting watching
Speaker 1: everybody get picked. I don't even know when I'm gonna
Speaker 1: get picked. So teams said they were gonna pick me
Speaker 1: to like kind of like pick somebody else. So I'm like, oh, damn,
Speaker 1: definitely not getting drafted now, like I don't have no idea.
Speaker 1: So and you started on a two way right, Nah,
Speaker 1: I don't even know like that, And honestly, I'm about
Speaker 1: to explain right now. So when I got drafted, like okay,
Speaker 1: so boom, I didn't really have a good summer league.
Speaker 1: So yeah, that was ruling ruined everyone. I didn't have
Speaker 1: a good summer league. So it's like they were kind
Speaker 1: of like, oh, we're offering him like straight G league
Speaker 1: contract type of stuff like that. So like my agent,
Speaker 1: we wasn't really going for that. I know I could
Speaker 1: play in the NBA. We knew like my skill set.
Speaker 1: I just had like bad not really bad before us.
Speaker 1: I didn't really get the showcase like you know, so
Speaker 1: pretty much like I guess we made like a deal,
Speaker 1: Like I go to Charlotte work out, they see how
Speaker 1: I play against with the players stuff like that. During
Speaker 1: training camp, like they started to see that, like okay,
Speaker 1: he could he actually could play the game, Like he
Speaker 1: actually is good. He got a game, you know, it's
Speaker 1: how to play. So from the summer to a training camp,
Speaker 1: I was just in Charlotte from like July to like
Speaker 1: from July to the season ending for real. So from
Speaker 1: July I was playing with them, just trying to make
Speaker 1: a name for myself out there. And then Mitch, Yeah,
Speaker 1: he put me through everything and then like he rewarded me,
Speaker 1: like he's uh by giving me a contractor sign, you know,
Speaker 1: by being on the team fully. So yeah, that was
Speaker 1: interesting that you talked about not really having obviously had
Speaker 1: much of an opportunity to get to know your teammates.
Speaker 1: Yet with the story you just told mirrors a lot
Speaker 1: of your new teammates and the pick number two, so
Speaker 1: you look around here, Shake Milton was picked in the fifties,
Speaker 1: Haul Reid was picked in the fifties. Apologies have I
Speaker 1: left anyone out, but it's a similar I mean, even
Speaker 1: though that's though like PJ had to work his way
Speaker 1: in Tyrese obviously didn't wasn't picked in the fifties, but
Speaker 1: he slipped. So like there's, um, there are a lot
Speaker 1: of guys on this team that know what it was
Speaker 1: like to have to really like claw their way into
Speaker 1: these lineups and into these opportunities. So hopefully you'll find
Speaker 1: ways to connect with them. Yeah, in the weeks and
Speaker 1: months and we talk about growing up in Federal Way, Washington.
Speaker 1: What was that like? Federal Way, you know south of Seattle.
Speaker 1: There's like twenty twenty five minutes away. Uh, yes, Federaway was.
Speaker 1: I mean it was cool growing up. It really wasn't
Speaker 1: too much going on. I don't get the basketball teams. Yeah,
Speaker 1: highest brother, undefeated, state tramps, undefeated. Yeah. Well, first I
Speaker 1: went to the school called Todd Beamer. It was also
Speaker 1: a Federway. It was like down the street. Them in
Speaker 1: Federway was like rivals. But I wasn't really playing at
Speaker 1: Todd Beamer, like it was some weird. So I transferred
Speaker 1: to Federway and then I started playing. Um my brother
Speaker 1: came along. We played for like a year together and
Speaker 1: then yeah twenty nine and oh one year, one state
Speaker 1: back to back, and then yeah, it was all my
Speaker 1: way to Sando stayed up. So I've sort of liked
Speaker 1: this threat of like you not really knowing your teammates
Speaker 1: yet getting you know, who else George. George also like
Speaker 1: clawed his way through the G League as crazy as
Speaker 1: I've seen George in like twenty nineteen at P three,
Speaker 1: like working out and I'm like, who, Like I didn't
Speaker 1: know he who? Like, I'm not no, I don't even
Speaker 1: want to say that mean no, No No, It's okay. He'll
Speaker 1: think it's funny. I'm like, so we're doing yoga, like
Speaker 1: I didn't even know, like it was just all hoopers there,
Speaker 1: but I didn't know like he hooped or nothing. Like
Speaker 1: just for people who don't know, P three is P
Speaker 1: three is like a performance like I guess supposed to
Speaker 1: be Like in Santa Barbara, we're in the off season,
Speaker 1: like guys from different teams. You remember seeing your now
Speaker 1: teammate George Niang, Yes, yes, twenty nineteen. I'm like like,
Speaker 1: I'm like, who, I didn't know who he bro was.
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie, I'm just like, yeah, So I'm
Speaker 1: like twenty nineteen. After twenty nineteen, I get drafted, have
Speaker 1: a game in Utah one day, and I like he
Speaker 1: was George is like hitting like three, he had like
Speaker 1: three threes. I'm like, wait, that's dude from P three,
Speaker 1: Like no way, I had no idea he was like
Speaker 1: in the league like and he's playing like so, I'm like, damn,
Speaker 1: like this is crazy, Like I just didn't expect it.
Speaker 1: Like I'm just saying I didn't know that this happened. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I told him like a couple of days ago. I'm like, bro,
Speaker 1: I'm like, you probably don't even remember, but I was
Speaker 1: at P three with you, and like he was like word,
Speaker 1: I was like yes, bro, Like we wasn't doing yoga together,
Speaker 1: like really, like I remember like vividly, like so it
Speaker 1: was crazy amazing from summer workouts to teammates. I hope
Speaker 1: you get to have more of those connections with your
Speaker 1: teammates to be go along. It's been so nice to
Speaker 1: watch you these first couple of games. Thank you for
Speaker 1: sharing your story with us today, and we're excited for
Speaker 1: the future with ye too. Thank you all. Fed Shalen,
Speaker 1: Welcome to Philadelphia. It's great to have you. Thanks so
Speaker 1: much for joining us. Appreciate it though to be here