WEBVTT - A New Season | Inside 76ers Training Camp 0:00:49.299 --> 0:00:51.579 I'm Sorry's Meg Si and you're listening to the seventy 0:00:51.619 --> 0:00:55.059 six Ers Insider's podcast. This podcast is part of the 0:00:55.059 --> 0:00:58.419 seventy six Ers podcast network, presented by Stern and Cohen Law. 0:00:58.339 --> 0:01:01.339 Search seventy six Ers Insiders wherever you get your podcasts. 0:01:01.659 --> 0:01:04.419 Suffering an injury at work can cause physical pain, but 0:01:04.539 --> 0:01:07.699 also great uncertainty about your rights. You need to retain 0:01:07.739 --> 0:01:10.459 a worker's compensation law firm that is a winner like 0:01:10.499 --> 0:01:13.419 our sixers, a firm that gets some of the best settlements, 0:01:13.459 --> 0:01:15.579 but is also willing to go toe to toe with 0:01:15.659 --> 0:01:19.379 the insurance company. No settling on the cheap. This is Philly. 0:01:19.539 --> 0:01:22.019 We have grit and fight in us. Call the workers 0:01:22.059 --> 0:01:25.259 Compensation law firm of Stern and Cohen or visit their 0:01:25.299 --> 0:01:29.819 site Sterncohenlaw dot com. The consultation is free. Stern and 0:01:29.819 --> 0:01:32.579 Cohen are the official partners of the seventy six Ers. 0:01:32.859 --> 0:01:44.779 They'll go ring the insurance company's bell. Welcome back to 0:01:44.819 --> 0:01:48.939 the seventy six Ers Insiders podcast. It's actually a season 0:01:49.219 --> 0:01:53.019 premiere for us ahead of the twenty twenty four twenty 0:01:53.019 --> 0:01:57.379 five NBA season. Matt Murphy and Lauren Rosen. We will 0:01:57.419 --> 0:02:01.539 talk about training camp. We will reflect back to media 0:02:01.659 --> 0:02:05.299 day and a little bit of everything else going on 0:02:05.459 --> 0:02:09.379 with the Sixers. But first things first, Lauren Rosen, how 0:02:09.499 --> 0:02:13.619 are the Bahamas the site of the Sixers training camp 0:02:13.659 --> 0:02:14.219 this season? 0:02:15.459 --> 0:02:17.059 Harphi? It is so good to be with you, and 0:02:17.099 --> 0:02:19.259 it is tough to complain when you're looking out at 0:02:19.259 --> 0:02:22.619 the ocean. I know the Sixers enjoying this change of 0:02:22.699 --> 0:02:27.539 scenery compared to Philadelphia, compared perhaps even into training camps pass. 0:02:27.539 --> 0:02:29.259 It's the first time, at least in my tenure, that 0:02:29.459 --> 0:02:31.899 we've been somewhere tropical for a training camp. So I 0:02:31.939 --> 0:02:34.179 know people are enjoying it. But it's an interesting juxtaposition 0:02:34.219 --> 0:02:35.979 with all the hard work that's going on on the 0:02:35.979 --> 0:02:36.739 court during the day. 0:02:37.899 --> 0:02:41.979 Year two of Nick Nurse as the Sixers head coach. 0:02:42.779 --> 0:02:46.579 Fort Collins, Colorado was last year's training camp, and when 0:02:46.579 --> 0:02:48.779 it comes to the Bahamas, I know something that Nick 0:02:49.219 --> 0:02:51.299 has said this week is that when the trip first 0:02:51.299 --> 0:02:53.739 started he didn't have that much time to even walk 0:02:53.779 --> 0:02:56.699 around outside. He said he might at some point this 0:02:56.819 --> 0:03:00.499 week if people have been paying attention to the media 0:03:00.539 --> 0:03:04.739 availabilities with players and with coach. If they have not, 0:03:05.099 --> 0:03:09.259 they will hear you divulge many of those details throughout 0:03:09.299 --> 0:03:11.859 the show today. The reason that we are starting with 0:03:11.939 --> 0:03:14.419 training camp and then reflecting back on media Day is 0:03:14.499 --> 0:03:18.259 because you are coming to us live from the Bahamas, 0:03:18.299 --> 0:03:24.059 where inside that ballroom gym, some of the sweatshirts that 0:03:24.139 --> 0:03:27.139 the coaches have been wearing are the ball wins. That 0:03:27.339 --> 0:03:29.579 is a phrase. I know it has a lot to 0:03:29.619 --> 0:03:33.939 do with rebounding and literally just getting your hands on 0:03:33.979 --> 0:03:39.019 the basketball, But what else have you noticed about mantras 0:03:39.139 --> 0:03:40.619 and those hoodies. 0:03:41.459 --> 0:03:43.659 Well, it's what you said, right, And what I've deduced 0:03:43.739 --> 0:03:45.819 is the idea of the ball wins. And we'll have 0:03:45.859 --> 0:03:47.619 to talk a little bit more with head coach Nick 0:03:47.659 --> 0:03:51.459 Nurse about this. He always has mantras with deeper meaning 0:03:51.499 --> 0:03:53.659 and I'm going to do my best to articulate what 0:03:53.699 --> 0:03:58.419 I've seen. But to me, the ball wins means literally, 0:03:58.619 --> 0:04:03.619 like you said, rebounds, but also deflections, forcing turnovers, reducing 0:04:03.619 --> 0:04:06.059 your own turnovers. It's the idea of taking care of 0:04:06.059 --> 0:04:08.339 the ball for as long as possible, right and maximizing 0:04:08.339 --> 0:04:10.779 the amount of time that the team is able to 0:04:10.939 --> 0:04:14.179 have the ball right. The team with the most possession 0:04:14.259 --> 0:04:18.179 throughout the game tends to have a positive yield. 0:04:18.299 --> 0:04:18.419 Right. 0:04:18.419 --> 0:04:20.419 So the idea is, whether you're on offense or defense, 0:04:20.419 --> 0:04:23.019 you're doing everything you can to take care of the ball. 0:04:23.419 --> 0:04:25.059 And that's been an emphasis all week long. 0:04:25.499 --> 0:04:27.619 The reason that I kind of took you down that 0:04:27.739 --> 0:04:30.499 path with it was there was a question about Caleb 0:04:30.579 --> 0:04:34.619 Martin's impact and like steals per game numbers, and where 0:04:34.739 --> 0:04:38.499 the coach went with it was actually first things, first 0:04:39.019 --> 0:04:43.419 defensive rebound and then maybe some deflections that lead to steals. 0:04:43.819 --> 0:04:45.939 On the defensive end, the Sixers were one of the 0:04:45.939 --> 0:04:49.459 best teams in the NBA in steals, but also when 0:04:49.539 --> 0:04:53.139 it comes to that deflections stat that the coaching staff 0:04:53.459 --> 0:04:57.539 cares greatly about. And then it's less of a camp 0:04:57.619 --> 0:05:02.699 about installing things or even getting back to the basics, 0:05:02.819 --> 0:05:05.939 and more of a camp about building off of what 0:05:06.099 --> 0:05:09.259 was established in year one. A lot of the coaching 0:05:09.299 --> 0:05:14.099 staff is the same. Obviously, the leader in Nurse, from 0:05:14.659 --> 0:05:20.579 an execution standpoint, that has been one of the focuses. 0:05:21.259 --> 0:05:24.179 For sure, and today it became a focus because coach 0:05:24.299 --> 0:05:28.019 Nurse said following day's practice, the team's third official practice 0:05:28.059 --> 0:05:31.539 as a group, that the execution is farther along than 0:05:31.579 --> 0:05:35.539 the execution was a year ago today right, saying that 0:05:35.619 --> 0:05:38.419 this is a team that is finding ways to gel 0:05:38.499 --> 0:05:43.459 and execute complex concepts quicker than he perhaps expected them 0:05:43.459 --> 0:05:46.099 to at this point. And it was interesting because he 0:05:46.139 --> 0:05:48.619 said he didn't know exactly why it's coming along as 0:05:48.739 --> 0:05:52.499 quick as it has, but he likes the veteran presence 0:05:52.539 --> 0:05:55.259 on this team, the amount of depth thereies on this team, 0:05:55.299 --> 0:05:57.539 the options that he can go to, which in theory, 0:05:57.659 --> 0:06:01.379 right complicates things a bit. But despite all the options, 0:06:01.379 --> 0:06:03.179 which I know we'll talk about in a second, and 0:06:03.219 --> 0:06:05.739 despite all that depth, which we'll talk about in a second, 0:06:06.059 --> 0:06:08.539 this is a group that has taken rather quickly to 0:06:08.659 --> 0:06:11.259 the concepts that the coaching staff is giving them, which 0:06:11.259 --> 0:06:13.819 of course is exactly what you want in a training 0:06:14.019 --> 0:06:14.819 camp environment. 0:06:16.099 --> 0:06:18.819 Take us through what some of the like when the 0:06:18.899 --> 0:06:21.859 reporters get led in, Like what are you seeing? I know, 0:06:22.459 --> 0:06:27.059 it looks like, uh, college's how it looks. It looks 0:06:27.059 --> 0:06:27.699 at them. 0:06:28.379 --> 0:06:30.219 You see the ballroom, you see the photos, you see 0:06:30.219 --> 0:06:31.899 all the content the sixers are putting out. That's how 0:06:31.939 --> 0:06:33.859 it looks. It's really cool. I think you were about 0:06:33.859 --> 0:06:35.939 to say, we're about to talk about Battle for Atlantis. 0:06:36.019 --> 0:06:40.619 Well, yeah, that And then in March madness when sometimes 0:06:41.019 --> 0:06:44.539 managers for college teams are taping down like lines from 0:06:44.539 --> 0:06:47.179 the court onto those carpeted areas. I mean that is 0:06:47.179 --> 0:06:49.179 where the courts have been dropped down. You think back 0:06:49.259 --> 0:06:52.499 to the NBA bubble to some of the teams, the 0:06:52.979 --> 0:06:57.019 practice courts were aligned in these types of ballrooms. But 0:06:57.819 --> 0:07:01.779 from an execution standpoint, like, what are you seeing them 0:07:02.179 --> 0:07:03.659 work on towards the end? I know a lot of 0:07:03.699 --> 0:07:06.699 it is just shooting stations and things like that. We 0:07:06.739 --> 0:07:10.019 can't really go into too much more detail, but what 0:07:10.059 --> 0:07:12.179 are you seeing when everybody gets let in? 0:07:13.179 --> 0:07:16.219 Well, a Nick Nurse training camp is extremely lively, right. 0:07:16.299 --> 0:07:19.219 It has been well documented that DJ Ghost of of 0:07:19.259 --> 0:07:22.699 course Sixers in Arena and Philadelphia Fame, has come on 0:07:23.459 --> 0:07:27.739 pretty close to, if not full time, with this coaching staff. 0:07:27.739 --> 0:07:31.419 He is wherever they are. He is responsible for cultivating 0:07:31.419 --> 0:07:34.259 the environment that Nick Nurse said a year ago when 0:07:34.259 --> 0:07:36.419 he took this job that he wanted to produce every 0:07:36.499 --> 0:07:40.379 day high energy, giving energy, pouring as much energy into 0:07:40.379 --> 0:07:43.339 the space as possible. So you're hearing loud music. There 0:07:43.339 --> 0:07:46.499 are guys at every basket. There are two courts, two 0:07:46.539 --> 0:07:50.419 baskets per court, So sometimes in a more traditional training 0:07:50.419 --> 0:07:55.459 facility situation. Two courts means eight baskets because they'll have 0:07:55.859 --> 0:07:58.699 the two sideline baskets on each side as well. Do 0:07:58.739 --> 0:08:00.259 you know what I mean? There are eight places to 0:08:00.299 --> 0:08:02.659 shoot here. There are only four, but they're making good 0:08:02.739 --> 0:08:06.699 use of all four. It's been fascinating. They've installed scoreboards 0:08:06.739 --> 0:08:10.739 in the ballroom. The court is obviously regulation size, there 0:08:10.779 --> 0:08:14.779 are two of them. They put some makeshift stands around 0:08:15.219 --> 0:08:18.019 the arena so that or the arena around the ballroom 0:08:18.259 --> 0:08:22.219 so that executives, coaches, support staff have somewhere to observe. 0:08:22.859 --> 0:08:26.419 It's been extremely professional. You kind of forget where you 0:08:26.459 --> 0:08:28.379 are when you're in that ballroom because there are obviously 0:08:28.419 --> 0:08:30.579 there are no windows, so you don't really know what 0:08:30.619 --> 0:08:32.099 time of day it is. You don't really know that 0:08:32.139 --> 0:08:35.459 you're in a tropical environment. Coach Nurse and his staff 0:08:35.459 --> 0:08:37.419 have done a great job of taking the energy of 0:08:37.459 --> 0:08:42.059 a traditional Nick Nurse Philadelphia seventy six ers practice and 0:08:42.139 --> 0:08:44.179 bringing it to Paradise. 0:08:45.459 --> 0:08:47.779 One of the things that he said was, we've got 0:08:47.939 --> 0:08:52.019 everything we need here, so when they're in those sessions, 0:08:52.059 --> 0:08:55.339 and the music has become a big part of it. 0:08:55.339 --> 0:08:58.299 It's not just with the Sixers, but it's from Nurses background. 0:08:58.659 --> 0:09:00.899 We'll have to talk to DJ Ghost at some point 0:09:01.139 --> 0:09:03.859 maybe about some of the finer details of this thing, 0:09:04.179 --> 0:09:07.219 but we'll have them on the podcast at some point 0:09:07.379 --> 0:09:10.299 to maybe go deeper on this. But I saw the 0:09:10.379 --> 0:09:14.899 Lakers have a DJ before and after practice Lebron James 0:09:14.899 --> 0:09:18.859 and JJ Reddick. JJ said Lebron wanted it, and JJ said, now, 0:09:18.899 --> 0:09:21.579 nobody else can have the ox cord. It's just in 0:09:21.619 --> 0:09:25.419 the hands of the DJ before and after can Sixers players. 0:09:25.459 --> 0:09:29.579 They can make requests song requests, right, And the. 0:09:29.539 --> 0:09:33.379 Coolest thing that I've noticed DJ ghosts now has always did, 0:09:33.419 --> 0:09:36.179 by the way, even before Coach Nurse and his staff 0:09:36.499 --> 0:09:40.019 took over in Philadelphia, DJ Ghost has an understanding of 0:09:40.179 --> 0:09:43.699 each player's favorite artists or favorite type of music. 0:09:43.779 --> 0:09:43.939 Right. 0:09:43.979 --> 0:09:45.699 So, if you've ever gone to a Sixers game super 0:09:45.739 --> 0:09:48.579 early and you've watched players warm up, the music that's 0:09:48.619 --> 0:09:51.459 being when DJ Ghost is on the ones and twos 0:09:51.579 --> 0:09:55.019 is exactly what that player wants to hear. He knows. 0:09:55.339 --> 0:09:57.059 Just for example, the first thing that popped into my 0:09:57.099 --> 0:10:00.019 head Tyrese Maxie loves Gunna, So anytime that Tyre's is 0:10:00.059 --> 0:10:02.739 out there by himself. That's what he's hearing. Right, anytime 0:10:02.779 --> 0:10:04.939 that he's preparing us to be hearing, I think, because 0:10:04.939 --> 0:10:07.139 we're in the Bahamas, I think of Buddy Heald. But 0:10:07.579 --> 0:10:10.059 Buddy Held listened to a lot of Caribbean music. He 0:10:10.139 --> 0:10:12.659 listened a lot of afrobeats, and DJ Ghost would give 0:10:12.699 --> 0:10:14.699 that to him, even though Buddy Heeld was just on 0:10:14.739 --> 0:10:17.339 the team for a couple of months. Right, So very 0:10:17.339 --> 0:10:19.539 cool to see the way that it's not just a 0:10:19.619 --> 0:10:23.019 DJ playing music. It's a DJ playing specialized music for 0:10:23.059 --> 0:10:26.099 each player, for each scenario. There are certain songs that 0:10:26.179 --> 0:10:28.419 the team warms up to. There are certain songs they 0:10:28.459 --> 0:10:30.979 cooled down to, or that they shoot round to. Right, 0:10:31.019 --> 0:10:33.579 there's a system there. It's not just about music. It's 0:10:33.739 --> 0:10:37.579 very intentional and it's been fascinating to watch as DJ 0:10:37.659 --> 0:10:39.859 Ghost has really become a part of this ecosystem. 0:10:40.659 --> 0:10:43.419 You mentioned Tyrese Maxey. Before we get into some of 0:10:43.459 --> 0:10:47.139 the new players, some of the depth, some of the rookies, 0:10:47.939 --> 0:10:51.819 let's talk about Maxie as a leader. It's an emerging theme. 0:10:51.899 --> 0:10:55.219 It's one that carries over from his fourth season into 0:10:55.259 --> 0:10:59.939 what will be his fifth NBA season. How have you 0:11:00.459 --> 0:11:03.499 seen that play out? In camp, He's. 0:11:03.379 --> 0:11:07.699 Been so comfortable and so confident using his voice. And 0:11:07.779 --> 0:11:10.819 for those of us, you and me, both you and I, 0:11:10.899 --> 0:11:15.139 both who have had the pleasure of watching Tyrese's professional 0:11:15.219 --> 0:11:19.059 career from day one, No, this is something that has 0:11:19.059 --> 0:11:23.419 grown over time. As a rookie, he was relatively quiet, right, 0:11:23.459 --> 0:11:26.619 always bringing energy, always laughing. I remember him spending all 0:11:26.659 --> 0:11:28.819 a time with Paul Reid and Isaiah Joe chatting with 0:11:28.819 --> 0:11:32.019 one another, but certainly not addressing the team. And watching 0:11:32.059 --> 0:11:36.259 the progression year over year of Tyree's feeling comfortable using 0:11:36.339 --> 0:11:40.179 his voice to direct the entire room. Seeing him arrive 0:11:40.219 --> 0:11:42.819 at the point that he's at at this training camp 0:11:43.179 --> 0:11:46.499 has been fabulous to see, really impressive stuff, Coach Nurse. 0:11:46.579 --> 0:11:49.739 Last year, Coach Nurse talked about it following the second 0:11:49.859 --> 0:11:53.819 team practice on Wednesday, said that last year at training 0:11:53.859 --> 0:11:57.379 camp he observes Tyree's communicating with the team and he said, ooh, 0:11:57.619 --> 0:11:59.259 We've got a long way to go in terms of 0:11:59.259 --> 0:12:04.019 growing Tyrese Maxi's communication. And he said, probably about a 0:12:04.099 --> 0:12:07.779 year ago to date yesterday Tuesday, Wednesday of the first 0:12:07.779 --> 0:12:11.499 week of October, that Tyree's has come leaps and bounds 0:12:11.499 --> 0:12:14.899 he's extremely comfortable. The two of them have a really 0:12:14.899 --> 0:12:18.339 communicative relationship. Coach Nurse talked about the fact that Tyrese 0:12:18.459 --> 0:12:22.139 and Nurse had to sit down together a long conversation 0:12:22.219 --> 0:12:25.299 ahead of practice yesterday about what Tyres needed to do differently, 0:12:25.619 --> 0:12:28.059 what types of communication systems they were hoping that he 0:12:28.099 --> 0:12:31.619 would be able to implement, and Nick Nurse said that 0:12:31.699 --> 0:12:34.859 Tyrese was able to produce that minutes later in that practice. 0:12:34.939 --> 0:12:37.099 So you know that the two of them are communicating well. Again, 0:12:37.139 --> 0:12:38.939 we talked about it. It's corny, but people always talk 0:12:38.979 --> 0:12:41.699 about the point guard as the voice of the coach 0:12:41.779 --> 0:12:46.659 on the floor. Watching as Nick Nurse delivers his messaging 0:12:46.659 --> 0:12:49.619 to Tyrese Maxey, Tyres Maxie delivers Nick Nurse is messing 0:12:49.819 --> 0:12:52.379 to the guys on the floor now, two of whom 0:12:52.499 --> 0:12:55.379 at least are future Hall of Famers, if not more. 0:12:56.339 --> 0:12:58.939 It has been very fluid. It has been very easy 0:12:58.979 --> 0:13:02.019 this year. It doesn't feel forced when Tyrese takes control 0:13:02.059 --> 0:13:04.859 of the gym, and that's a big deal for a 0:13:04.899 --> 0:13:07.899 twenty three year old, first time All Star. Very cool stuff. 0:13:08.779 --> 0:13:12.739 And when we talk about floor generals, Nick Nurse, I 0:13:12.819 --> 0:13:15.939 was going to wait to talk about this, and I'll 0:13:15.979 --> 0:13:18.139 cover more of the logistics on it at the end. 0:13:18.259 --> 0:13:21.259 But his background in Iowa, he was a point guard 0:13:21.499 --> 0:13:24.219 on a high school state championship team. He was an 0:13:24.259 --> 0:13:27.579 extension of his head coach. I'll have a full feature 0:13:27.699 --> 0:13:31.939 coming out about Carol Iowa, Nick Nurse's hometown and the 0:13:31.979 --> 0:13:36.339 intersections between the two. But they won the state championship 0:13:36.339 --> 0:13:39.219 in nineteen eighty five. People all around his life say 0:13:39.259 --> 0:13:41.459 they could see it as an extension of the coach 0:13:41.499 --> 0:13:42.939 on the floor that he may go on to be 0:13:42.979 --> 0:13:45.699 a coach. It was pretty obvious in all sports. Quarterbacking 0:13:45.779 --> 0:13:49.819 the football team, pitching and playing middle infield in baseball, 0:13:49.899 --> 0:13:52.019 and then as the point guard on the basketball team. 0:13:52.059 --> 0:13:54.299 So he's been in Tyrese Maxie's shoes. He went on 0:13:54.379 --> 0:13:57.299 to be a four year starter at You and I 0:13:57.739 --> 0:14:03.459 Northern Iowa, so he has experience firsthand experience with these 0:14:03.499 --> 0:14:06.859 types of things. Maxie's training camp parastyle. If he keeps it, 0:14:06.899 --> 0:14:09.059 he says he can see a little bit. He was 0:14:09.139 --> 0:14:11.739 joking that he's going to grow even more on the 0:14:11.779 --> 0:14:15.499 court because it's not in his face as much. I 0:14:15.539 --> 0:14:16.619 know he mentioned that. 0:14:17.219 --> 0:14:19.419 Yeah, his were birds in the hours, but he said it, 0:14:19.459 --> 0:14:21.099 How good is he give me this year? Now that 0:14:21.219 --> 0:14:23.219 he doesn't have any air in his face? So we'll see, 0:14:23.219 --> 0:14:25.819 we'll see how long he keeps it. No, he's been 0:14:26.339 --> 0:14:31.699 fantastic qualitatively, quantitatively, shooting the ball well, playing really hard. 0:14:32.099 --> 0:14:33.899 He's doing everything you want him to do. And if 0:14:33.899 --> 0:14:36.459 you've been following Tyrese for a while, that's what you've 0:14:36.499 --> 0:14:37.259 come to expect. 0:14:37.499 --> 0:14:39.819 And if anything else jumps out to you from what 0:14:39.899 --> 0:14:42.339 the guys have been saying, please feel free to throw 0:14:42.339 --> 0:14:44.819 it in. On the opposite end of the maxie spectrum 0:14:44.819 --> 0:14:48.539 would be a Jared McCain, a rookie, which as we 0:14:49.259 --> 0:14:54.139 talk after the Thursday practice of camp, Joel Embiid had 0:14:54.179 --> 0:14:57.619 some high praise for first round pick Jared McCain. 0:14:58.019 --> 0:15:02.819 The guys, I've been looking good. Probably our best player 0:15:02.859 --> 0:15:07.419 has been John McCain, you know, which is pretty good, right. 0:15:07.459 --> 0:15:10.979 I think everybody trying to get on the same page. 0:15:10.979 --> 0:15:11.899 There's a lot to learn. 0:15:11.939 --> 0:15:15.539 We got a brand new team, so I think a 0:15:15.579 --> 0:15:18.419 lot you know, we just you know, we we change 0:15:18.939 --> 0:15:22.539 a few stuff from last year. So yeah, but he's 0:15:22.579 --> 0:15:26.299 been a good so far. MANI he compete, Uh Mayni 0:15:26.419 --> 0:15:32.619 is tough compete. Great shot, I mean shot maker, MANI shot, 0:15:32.819 --> 0:15:35.939 he's been shooting. He's been shooting the ball at triming well, 0:15:36.899 --> 0:15:41.219 great energy. Uh, thank you guys. He has a pretty 0:15:41.219 --> 0:15:44.099 good chance. I don't want to put the expectations out there, 0:15:44.179 --> 0:15:47.379 but you know, I kind of I gotta see, you know, 0:15:47.379 --> 0:15:51.059 I gotta see more. But so far it's been good. 0:15:51.619 --> 0:15:55.259 Very high praise for Jared McCain from across the roster 0:15:55.459 --> 0:15:58.699 and his coach since the beginning of the week, and 0:15:58.899 --> 0:16:01.259 Jared was honest at Summer League Matt Murphy, I know 0:16:01.259 --> 0:16:02.579 you and I talked about this a lot on our 0:16:02.619 --> 0:16:05.259 summer league streams, about the fact that he knew there 0:16:05.299 --> 0:16:07.339 would be a learning curve coming into the NBA. He 0:16:07.379 --> 0:16:09.019 knew that there would be a learning curve when he 0:16:09.059 --> 0:16:11.139 started playing at Duke, and people will remember if you 0:16:11.179 --> 0:16:13.619 watched his due career that he did have a slower 0:16:13.699 --> 0:16:16.819 start compared perhaps to the finish that he had of 0:16:16.859 --> 0:16:19.619 his first season, first and only season as a Duke 0:16:19.619 --> 0:16:23.259 Blue Devil. So that awareness that he had that maybe 0:16:23.259 --> 0:16:24.939 there was going to be a bit of a learning curve, 0:16:25.219 --> 0:16:28.659 and the way that he's clearly attacked it since Summer 0:16:28.739 --> 0:16:32.219 League is extremely impressive. And again, don't take it for me. 0:16:32.379 --> 0:16:34.699 Take it from Eric Gordon, Take it from Tyrese Maxey, 0:16:34.859 --> 0:16:37.299 take it from Joel Embiid, take it from Nick Nurse, 0:16:37.619 --> 0:16:41.139 all of whom have agreed that Jared McCain has not 0:16:41.179 --> 0:16:43.459 been a standout rookie at this training camp. He has 0:16:43.499 --> 0:16:46.219 been a standout player at this training camp. And I 0:16:46.299 --> 0:16:49.859 like what Nick Nurse shared after the second he was 0:16:49.899 --> 0:16:51.979 standing out on the defensive end as well. And of 0:16:51.979 --> 0:16:55.219 course when you draft Jared McCain, you're probably not drafting 0:16:55.259 --> 0:16:58.579 him primarily for his defensive abilities. But what coach Nurse 0:16:58.579 --> 0:17:00.179 has always said is if you can find a way 0:17:00.179 --> 0:17:02.339 to compete, you can find a way onto the floor, 0:17:02.459 --> 0:17:04.699 right And if Jared is competing on both sides of 0:17:04.739 --> 0:17:07.019 the ball early in this camp, that's a great sign 0:17:07.139 --> 0:17:10.779 for the growth that he knows, he's known that he 0:17:10.859 --> 0:17:14.059 has needed to demonstrate in order to be a key 0:17:14.099 --> 0:17:16.739 part of this very, very deep team. It's going to 0:17:16.819 --> 0:17:19.659 be hard to crack this rotation in memory. 0:17:20.659 --> 0:17:24.299 McCain mentioned as a standout. It goes down the roster 0:17:24.779 --> 0:17:28.419 gershan Ya Vacelli has been talked about a returner like 0:17:28.539 --> 0:17:32.419 Kelly Oubre Junior has been talked about. I know from 0:17:32.419 --> 0:17:36.459 the fan base perspective, everyone's excited about Andre Drummond being 0:17:36.859 --> 0:17:40.019 in the front court, a front court option for this team. 0:17:40.099 --> 0:17:44.019 Behind Joel Embiid. There's a bunch of veteran guards in 0:17:44.059 --> 0:17:46.939 the mix. Does it just feel like when you look 0:17:46.979 --> 0:17:50.219 around that ballroom that this team has depth galore? 0:17:51.219 --> 0:17:52.939 Well, and what you have to think about at training 0:17:52.979 --> 0:17:56.019 camp now, and for those that might not have followed 0:17:56.219 --> 0:18:01.099 NBA roster evolution as closely, we went from a pair 0:18:01.099 --> 0:18:03.579 of two way contracts to a trio of two way 0:18:03.619 --> 0:18:07.099 contract plus at training camp at least anyone on an 0:18:07.099 --> 0:18:10.539 exhibit Exhibit ten contract is with the big team, Guys 0:18:10.539 --> 0:18:13.419 that project to spend a good amount of time with 0:18:13.459 --> 0:18:16.579 the Bluecoats during the regular season. So twenty plus players 0:18:16.779 --> 0:18:21.939 in the mix every dayDay, that's about a third more 0:18:21.979 --> 0:18:25.219 than you'll see traditionally, for example, a practice on the 0:18:25.299 --> 0:18:27.979 road during the regular season. So there are more bodies, 0:18:28.019 --> 0:18:30.099 first of all. Second of all, you have to think 0:18:30.139 --> 0:18:32.979 about who those bodies are. And as you said, a 0:18:32.979 --> 0:18:36.059 lot of the new faces on this team are bona 0:18:36.099 --> 0:18:41.179 fide respected veterans in THEBA. Reggie Jackson is someone that's 0:18:41.219 --> 0:18:44.179 going to fight his way into this rotation, and he 0:18:44.259 --> 0:18:47.299 is someone with quite the resume, right, I mean, anyone 0:18:47.699 --> 0:18:51.019 you think about, like you said, just guards. Kyle Lowry 0:18:51.059 --> 0:18:54.019 is part of that depth, the rookies that are competing, 0:18:54.339 --> 0:18:59.419 the Jared mccains of the world. So exactly right. So 0:18:59.499 --> 0:19:01.939 I did a bad job of doing that the spectrum 0:19:01.939 --> 0:19:04.339 I was trying to paint for you. I did a 0:19:04.379 --> 0:19:07.219 good bad job of making it linear, right, but on 0:19:07.259 --> 0:19:11.019 a spectrum from Jared McCain to Kyle Lowry or Eric 0:19:11.019 --> 0:19:14.099 Gordon in terms of sort of representing the two age 0:19:14.419 --> 0:19:18.179 ends of this league as it currently stands. There are 0:19:18.299 --> 0:19:21.219 so many options and head coach Nick Nurse discussed that 0:19:21.339 --> 0:19:25.539 as well after practice number three when he thinks about 0:19:25.539 --> 0:19:28.579 putting the puzzle pieces together. Nick Nurse famous for trying 0:19:28.619 --> 0:19:30.859 new things. Try something. If it works, you keep it 0:19:30.899 --> 0:19:32.859 in the toolkit. If it doesn't work, you throw it away. 0:19:33.139 --> 0:19:36.099 He has so many different combinations to keep track up right, 0:19:36.099 --> 0:19:37.619 because there are a lot of new faces, a few 0:19:37.659 --> 0:19:39.979 returning faces, some players that he's worked with in the past, 0:19:40.219 --> 0:19:42.619 but there are so many new faces that are qualified 0:19:42.619 --> 0:19:45.219 for the jobs that they're all seeking. And now he 0:19:45.259 --> 0:19:48.139 has to figure out what the best combinations are of 0:19:48.179 --> 0:19:52.579 the excess of options that he finds himself with as 0:19:52.579 --> 0:19:54.179 a result of his team's deep. 0:19:54.819 --> 0:19:59.299 And like Nurse, like Lowry, Reggie Jackson is an NBA 0:19:59.419 --> 0:20:02.659 champion with the Nuggets. I was reminded on media Day 0:20:02.699 --> 0:20:06.739 when he mentioned it that he went to a finals 0:20:06.779 --> 0:20:10.259 when he was with the Thunder very early at to 0:20:10.299 --> 0:20:13.179 start his career. I'm glad you mentioned the two way 0:20:13.259 --> 0:20:15.819 contracts as well, because what I'll say to that is 0:20:15.859 --> 0:20:20.179 that they have two very experienced players occupying two of 0:20:20.219 --> 0:20:23.579 the three slots here in early October, in Jeff Dalton Junior, 0:20:23.659 --> 0:20:27.099 someone that is very trusted by coach Nurse. They added 0:20:27.179 --> 0:20:32.459 Lester Kenionez, who I remember and a lot of others 0:20:32.459 --> 0:20:34.779 do too, that he scored thirteen points for the Warriors 0:20:34.819 --> 0:20:37.739 in an NBA game in Philadelphia last February. So to 0:20:37.779 --> 0:20:41.859 have those two guys plus rookie Justin Edwards on two 0:20:41.899 --> 0:20:47.259 way contracts during training camp is very solid. But media Day, 0:20:48.179 --> 0:20:51.219 all these players you mentioned a lot of them have 0:20:51.339 --> 0:20:55.419 close friendships from when they played together on other teams. 0:20:56.299 --> 0:20:59.779 Drummond and Reggie Jackson a great example of that. When 0:20:59.779 --> 0:21:02.379 they were with Detroit. We had both of them on 0:21:02.419 --> 0:21:04.339 this podcast. If people want to go back in the 0:21:04.459 --> 0:21:07.339 archives and listen, there are other examples. Caleb Martin has 0:21:07.379 --> 0:21:10.899 a couple with Kyle Lowry and Kelly Oubray Junior because 0:21:10.939 --> 0:21:15.619 his twin Cody, played with Kelly in Charlotte. So that 0:21:15.699 --> 0:21:19.579 was something I took away from media Day. What else? 0:21:19.979 --> 0:21:22.939 What did you take away from this past Monday at 0:21:22.939 --> 0:21:24.539 this point, Well. 0:21:24.379 --> 0:21:26.819 What I wondered on Monday. We've been able to see 0:21:26.859 --> 0:21:30.499 over these last few days, right again, lots of new faces, 0:21:30.699 --> 0:21:33.659 but a lot of connections among the new faces, guys 0:21:33.659 --> 0:21:36.979 that played with each other on other teams. I'm thinking 0:21:37.019 --> 0:21:40.299 of Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin very recently shared the 0:21:40.339 --> 0:21:44.379 floor in Miami together. Martin has not played for Nurse, 0:21:44.659 --> 0:21:47.699 but Lowry has played for Nurse a ton and just 0:21:47.779 --> 0:21:50.619 played with Martin. Right, So you're seeing these guys help 0:21:50.659 --> 0:21:54.899 each other make these learning curves perhaps flatter because of 0:21:55.259 --> 0:21:58.499 how well they know one another and how they are 0:21:58.539 --> 0:22:02.179 able to translate for one another in this new environment. 0:22:02.899 --> 0:22:05.579 Even an Andre Drummond, who was with the Sixers under 0:22:05.619 --> 0:22:08.299 Doc Rivers, now is back with some of his teammates. 0:22:08.299 --> 0:22:10.779 He's very familiar with Joel. He's familiar with Tyree's but 0:22:10.819 --> 0:22:12.579 he has a new coach, so now he has the 0:22:12.579 --> 0:22:16.259 teammates that he's familiar with onboarding him to a new system. 0:22:16.699 --> 0:22:19.699 It's almost met like the concept of the six degrees 0:22:19.739 --> 0:22:22.899 of Kevin Bacon. Right. These people, even if they haven't 0:22:22.899 --> 0:22:25.579 all played together on the same team, have all played 0:22:25.659 --> 0:22:28.459