Inside Sixers: Preparing for Abu Dhabi, Andre Drummond’s ‘toe yoga’ and more from a brief training camp

VJ Edgecombe was not quite sure how he would prepare for the longest flight of his life. Ditto for 76ers teammates Justin Edwards, Dominick Barlow, and Kelly Oubre Jr.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself, honestly,” Oubre said Sunday afternoon.

Thus begins a unique preseason for the Sixers. Rather than go off-site for a week of training camp — they went to the Bahamas last year, and Fort Collins, Colo., in coach Nick Nurse’s first season — the team held two practices at its facility in Camden before departing for Abu Dhabi for two preseason games against the New York Knicks.

NBA players and staff are used to constant flights and changing time zones and inconsistent sleep schedules. But a 13-hour jaunt across the Atlantic Ocean is a different beast.

So how will the Sixers spend their time airborne?

Tyrese Maxey said he will mingle with teammates for about three hours, “then try to sleep, I guess.” Barlow had already downloaded his favorite movie, Training Day. Oubre said he would toggle between watching YouTube videos, playing his Nintendo Switch, and reading, because “I get bored and antsy pretty easy.”

Edgecombe added that he has been told to focus on post-practice recovery, because flying for that many hours can cause swelling. And Oubre said that the Sixers’ nutrition staff has provided kits with supplements to help combat the jet lag and eight-hour time difference once they arrive in Abu Dhabi.

“I’ve got to actually plan my trip like it’s a full day,” Oubre said. “I don’t want to go to sleep too early; then I’m going to be up all night.”

Leading into Sunday’s flight, Nurse said he still aimed to construct two practices comparable to the start of any camp. After taking the rest of Monday off upon landing, the Sixers will return to the court Tuesday with the medical staff measuring and monitoring the players’ physical workloads.

» READ MORE: Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe is wowed by NBA talent but is showing plenty of his own

Another task for Nurse is having enough basic schemes installed by Thursday to play a game against another NBA team.

“The goal for me is to get there and get to work,” Nurse said.

Andre Drummond spent much of his offseason doing “toe yoga.”

Really.

“Honestly, I didn’t know there was such a thing,” the veteran center said Friday.

After an ongoing turf toe injury derailed Drummond’s return season in Philly, he said those exercises finally strengthened the toe enough for him to move it “freely” without needing it taped. That propelled the 7-footer into a successful summer, which Nurse said resulted in Drummond arriving for camp an estimated 20 pounds lighter.

“He’s moving a little bit better,” Nurse said, “and he’s been playing very hard.”

Drummond has reason to be “definitely beyond motivated” heading into 2025-26. His reunion with the Sixers was celebrated last summer, after Joel Embiid called Drummond the best backup he has ever had when they were teammates for part of the 2021-22 season. But Drummond never looked as productive — or healthy — throughout last season, when he averaged 7.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in 40 games.

Now Drummond, the former All-Star and NBA rebounding leader, will compete with Adem Bona for the center spot that will spell Embiid when the former MVP is healthy and start when Embiid does not play.

“I feel like I let myself down,” Drummond said of last season. “I let the city down, too, and this team. I took that personal. I’m ready to play.”

Oubre was part of the early-September news cycle for the most online Sixers fans when he posted this on Instagram: “I love Philly, but the love doesn’t seem to be reciprocated. What happened to this place?”

When asked Friday for the reasoning behind his post, the veteran wing said he had felt eliminated from the “equation” in fan pages’ discussions of the roster. The post also came after a media report that the Sixers were exploring trading Oubre before the start of the season.

“I’m not going to apologize for the things I say,” Oubre said. “Because nobody’s going to do the same for me. I’m here. I’m all in. I wear this jersey for a reason. It’s because I want to. …

“It was just something to just let you guys know that I’m still here, and I’m not here to fit in. I’m here to stand out and help this team the best that I possibly can. That’s all that I’m going to say about that.”

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid, Paul George taking ‘day by day’ approach to injury recoveries with Sixers

Oubre has become a consistent contributor in two seasons with the Sixers, and averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 60 games in 2024-25 before picking up his $8.4 million player option. Although he is a terrific athlete, Oubre has continued to work on slowing down while driving into the lane. He said he watched a compilation of “lowlights” with personal trainer Drew Hanlen during the offseason, and “it was all me just going 100 miles an hour, kind of brainless.”

“That’s a big emphasis — still,” Oubre said. “Because that’s the evolution of my game. I’m going into Year 11, but I’m still developing like I’m in Year 1. In my head, I’m always going to be a beginner.”

Oubre also hopes to get his three-point shooting percentage up to a more reliable clip, after connecting on 29.3% of his four attempts per game last season.

He believes the dip can be traced back to past surgeries on his little finger and thumb, resulting in built-up scar tissue. This summer, he worked with a therapist to increase the range of motion in his wrist, hand, and fingers. Now, he must “rewrite the patterns in my brain” to how he used to shoot before the injuries.

“Just got to put the ball in the hole,” Oubre said, “and then you guys can talk about it when I do.”

Kyle Lowry initially joked that his media day news conference should take less than two minutes. Then, the 39-year-old guard went into performer mode.

He roasted a member of the public relations staff for receiving a promotion, asking the room to applaud. He shouted out player development coach Reggie Redding as “Villanova’s finest,” a nod to Lowry’s alma mater. And when Lowry spotted Chick-fil-A as the provided lunch, he asked if the staff had “cheaped out on [including] the cheese” on the sandwich.

» READ MORE: Kyle Lowry joins Prime Video as an NBA analyst — while still playing for the Sixers

Lowry is back playing for his hometown team in his 20th NBA season, a desire he expressed in the spring before signing another one-year, veteran-minimum contract. Lowry, who was limited to 35 games last season because of a lingering hip issue, recognizes his primary role now is as a mentor to a promising young guard group.

Unsurprisingly, his locker in the practice facility is between the stalls belonging to Edgecombe and second-year guard Jared McCain.

“That’s my motivation,” Lowry said. “I just want to continue to give what I’ve learned, what I’ve done.”

Another new role for Lowry this season: media analyst.

Amazon Prime announced last week that it had added Lowry to its first NBA programming team, after the streaming service acquired rights to televise games beginning this season. Lowry said he would not work from the studio this season, and likened his responsibilities to when Draymond Green and CJ McCollum began their podcasting and other media ventures while still active. Sixers teammate Paul George also has had a podcast for multiple seasons.

“They’re looking for a new way to teach the game,” Lowry said of Amazon Prime’s vision for his role.

Oubre on the Sixers’ physical pickup games before training camp began: “It was a little ‘footsketball-ish.’ It doesn’t matter. It was us just getting to know each other, and it was fun for me because the pace picked up. The intensity was there, and everybody just pushed each other to get better.”