Jabari Walker is soaking up knowledge from his veteran Sixers teammates
"I’ve heard about veteran leadership," he says. "But I’ve never really seen it to this extent. Just grateful to [Andre Drummond]. Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Joel [Embiid], all these guys."
For Jabari Walker, the communication he receives on the court from future Hall of Fame teammates is everything.
There was a second-quarter play in the 76ers’ victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday when Kyle Lowry and Paul George directed him on the court. The guidance led Walker to bury a wide-open three-pointer.
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“It’s amazing,” Walker said Sunday morning about what he absorbs listening to the team’s veterans. “This is something I’ve asked for. I’ve heard about veteran leadership. But I’ve never really seen it to this extent. So, just grateful to Drum [Andre Drummond]. Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Joel [Embiid], all these guys. Every day, I feel like I could turn my brain off a little bit sometimes and just rely on them and make life a lot easier.
“And then just picking up learning from what they tell me, adding on my own spice to it, it’s very helpful.”
The reserve power forward, who’s on a two-way contract, made 4 of 7 three-pointers en route to scoring a season-high 18 points Friday. He scored 16 of those points before intermission.
Lakers connections
The Sixers hosted the Lakers on Sunday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena in a homecoming for Los Angeles coach JJ Redick, who played for the Sixers for two seasons from 2017-19. The former shooting guard appeared in 146 games, with 133 starts, and averaged 17.6 points in 30.8 minutes. It was the most points that Redick averaged for a team over his 15-year career with six squads.
This matchup also served as a homecoming for Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks. Brooks began his playing career with the Sixers as an undrafted rookie in 1988. He averaged 11.5 points in 154 games with seven starts during his two-year stint in Philly. Brooks went on to play 10 NBA seasons before turning to coaching.
Brooks, 60, was a head coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards.
Meanwhile, Drummond played 21 games with the Lakers during the 2020-21 season.