A memorable pass, a different kind of film session, and Dean Wade’s return to Cleveland | Inside the Sixers
A clinching pass from LeBron James to Tyrese Maxey, and a film session to discuss passing too much were among the highlights of the Sixers’ road schedule.
Until this past week, the 76ers’ regular-season road schedule had solely been one-game trips.
So a jaunt to Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago represented their first extended time away from home — another early-season step for this revamped roster drawing immense attention during a 9-2 start.
“Obviously we’re a new group, so we’re still learning, we’re still getting acclimated,” LeBron James said following Sunday’s 127-121 win at the Bulls. “We’re still getting comfortable with one another every single game. So a road trip definitely helps.”
» READ MORE: LeBron James scores season-high 22 points, wakes up Sixers in 127-121 win against the Bulls
Coach Nick Nurse joked before Sunday’s game that he’d be “pretty happy” with the trip if they had won two out of three contests to improve to 5-1 overall away from home. Here are some scenes and tidbits the Inquirer has observed, which shed a bit of light on how this group is quickly attempting to gel.
A play to savor
James was soaking his feet in an ice bucket, and he had his left shoulder wrapped with ice like he had just pitched two innings out of the bullpen — all part of the recovery process after Sunday’s win in Chicago.
A creature of habit and routine, James was asked how he felt about preparing for a 2:30 p.m. local tipoff time in Sunday’s win over the Bulls. The smile he gave before answering gave away the fact that he would much rather be playing at night.
“It definitely changes my routine,” James said. “But, listen, the game is the game and you’ve got to play the game. So I was able to get here and get activated, get on the floor and just try to make plays.”
Just after his interview session, James watched on his phone one of those plays he made, a kick-out pass for a Tyrese Maxey three that put the Sixers up 113-106 with 2 minutes, 13 seconds remaining.
James drove to the hoop and all eyes, including those of the Bulls defense, were on him. James might have been the only person who saw Maxey open between the left wing and corner. He delivered the pass, Maxey took a side dribble on Isaac Okoro, then buried a three that put some separation on the scoreboard for the Sixers.
“I take pride in knowing where my teammates are at all times, and especially when I’m getting downhill and I’m able to get into the cracks of the defense,” James said. “I know there’s going to be a lot of defenders and there’s going to be a lot of eyes that’s paying attention to see what I possibly can do.
“So I feel like with me having my eyes on the rim, but also having the vision to know where my teammates are, it always kind of throws the defenses off.”
When reporters asked Maxey about the sequence, James said from his locker, “He didn’t think I saw him.”
“You never know when you’re going to get the ball,” Maxey said of James’ passing. “And that’s good.”
A different approach
Maxey said during this trip the Sixers watched a film edit, not of good shots or bad shots, but possessions in which they passed too much.
As in, someone would have an open shot during a possession, but would pass it up in the name of being unselfish or trying to find a perfect shot. It could ruin the possession, because that better shot may never materialize.
“I remember [against Cleveland] I had a wide-open three and end up turning the ball over or something like that,” Maxey said. “So you got to shoot those shots. It’s good being unselfish, but sometimes those are the plays I got to make.”
The Sixers have discussed how they have taken a selfless approach to this season from the start of training camp. Even needing a film session like that shows they have been constant in backing that up on the court.
Coming out of the sessions, Jaylen Brown said the Sixers had to have a more aggressive mindset when it came to shooting open threes.
“Just take open shots, especially corner threes, catch and shoot threes,” Brown said. “Those are always good looks for us. So, got to take the earliest open available shot, and we can all live with those results.”
It was Wade’s return, too
As Dean Wade walked into Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Arena Friday morning, he stopped to chat with a security guard.
That quick catch-up embodied the relationships Wade built while spending his first seven NBA seasons with the Cavaliers. So for Wade — whose Cleveland return Friday got overshadowed by James’ first game there as a Sixer — it felt “weird” being on the other side of a game in his former NBA home.
“It was pretty hard to stay focused on what was in front of me,” Wade said after going scoreless but totaling five rebounds in the Sixers’ 119-95 loss. “But it was good, man. I was happy to see everybody. Unfortunately, we didn’t play our best basketball. But outside of the basketball, it was great. Emotion [and] energy was high.”
Wade joined the Cavaliers after going undrafted in 2019, then built himself into a valuable complementary player most lauded for his defensive versatility. He acknowledged following Friday’s game that he initially hoped to re-sign with Cleveland in free agency this past summer, “but it just didn’t happen.” Adding Wade also was a priority for new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who previously worked in the Cavaliers’ front office and watched Wade’s development firsthand.
“For my options that I had, I made a great decision,” said Wade, who is one of the Sixers’ first players off the bench. “Building relationships here in Philly is awesome. This team is great, high-character people. “
A sprained ankle kept Wade out of the first Sixers-Cavaliers meeting, when his new team rallied from 29 points to win their home opener. Friday night, he received a “welcome back” from the Cavaliers’ public address announcer when he checked in for the first time. Wade said he spent a few minutes catching up with former teammate Jarrett Allen, whom he called one of his best friends, along with All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell and fellow role player Sam Merrill.
And whenever he was on the floor, Wade said he heard Jaylon Tyson (who was sidelined with an ankle injury) yelling at him from the bench.
“They talked a little trash,” Wade said. “But it was all friendly and stuff like that. So it wasn’t too bad.”
Laughing at himself
On Sunday, Joel Embiid had 10 rebounds, eight on the offensive end. He knew the reason why he had so many.
“If I get an offensive rebound, it’s probably because I missed my own shot,” Embiid said.
A reporter had asked Embiid if he felt good about his “second jump” on plays around the basket, and if that had fueled part of his offensive rebounding. No, he said, he just was cleaning up after himself.
“You’re missing your own shot and everything is short and the ball bounces back to you, it doesn’t really matter if you have a second jump,” he said.
Happy to be here
James entered the visitors’ locker room inside Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 6:08 p.m., with a scream loud enough to startle someone who had their back turned to the door.
He had just finished his pregame on-court work ahead of the Sixers’ Oct. 28 win at the Indiana Pacers. As he tied his shoes, he told everyone within earshot, “It’s a beautiful day to do what we love, man. Can’t ask for a better life.”
One of those nearby was Tacko Fall. A silly conversation ensued about it not being “Taco (or Tacko) Tuesday,” a staple on James’ social media accounts (it was Wednesday).
It demonstrated how connections are formed across an NBA locker room, including between the 41-year-old all-time great and a then-injured big man on a two-way contract trying to seize his second chance to stick in the NBA.
Fore!
Players often have different pregame routines, and the locker room before a game can be a busy time as they come and go to move through that preparation. But at times, one might catch James consuming some golfing tips on YouTube, playing videos loud enough on a table for media to hear when they enter.
It’s a part of James’ growing love for the game. He has begun posting golf content to his YouTube channel with friends, former teammates, and other golf content creators. When James locks in on something, he locks in with a focus few have, and that’s what he has done with his passion for golf.
“I have no idea who’s bright idea it was,” James posted on X announcing his latest golf video. “But go watch it.”
Maxey motivation
These Sixers have exuded a joyful disposition — wine sipping, hip thrusting — for much of the season’s first three weeks.
That is easy while racing out to an 8-1 start. Yet even following their worst performance of the season in Friday’s loss at Cleveland, Maxey kept that energy. While passing Anfernee Simons’ locker following that loss, he told his teammate, “Ain’t the end of the world.”
Maxey was still candid in his postgame remarks, calling the four non-VJ Edgecombe starters “very flat” and “very stagnant.” But Maxey has long referenced the need to quickly “debrief” and move on, a concept he learned at Kentucky from former coach John Calipari.
“I mean, we’re 8-2,” Maxey said after that game. “I don’t want to, like, dwell on it too bad. … We didn’t defend like we were supposed to, and that’s the result. And, I mean, that happens sometimes, I think.”
The public comments and individual encouragement are examples of the leadership style that complement Maxey’s prolific scoring. He remains The Franchise, even with new superstar teammates and arena atmospheres that make it feel “like a show every game.”
Pick and choose
After the win over Detroit, Maxey and Brown did their media interviews at the same, meaning those in the locker room had to divide and conquer each for their interview sessions. The Inquirer went to Brown, who talked about still fitting in as a “new guy” on the team.
A few stalls over, Maxey was talking about a swollen finger he suffered in the win over the Pistons.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you this is how my finger’s looked all season, since last year,” Maxey told reporters in that scrum. “But, I’m fine.”
He wasn’t lying. He didn’t show up on the injury report at all in the next two games.
Inquirer beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine go behind the scenes of covering LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the Sixers’ star-studded roster, and debate what’s real and not real about the team’s hot start. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
