Jalen McDaniels arrives ready to ‘make the most’ of his opportunity with the Sixers

Jalen McDaniels was on the phone with his agent following practice Thursday afternoon in Boston, when he could feel his Charlotte Hornets teammates staring at him.

That’s when he realized the unexpected news being delivered to him in real time also was hitting the Twitterverse: that he had been dealt to the 76ers hours before the NBA’s trade deadline arrived.

McDaniels was already on the Sixers’ bench at the Wells Fargo Center Friday night, absorbing his new team’s 119-108 victory over the New York Knicks. The 6-foot-9 forward could make his Sixers debut as soon as Saturday’s game at the new-look Brooklyn Nets. And McDaniels hopes this whirlwind start parlays into him seizing the opportunity to shift from a rebuilding Hornets team to a Sixers squad in championship pursuit.

“Them coming after me and wanting me to be here,” McDaniels said before Friday’s game, “it says a lot about what I can bring to the team to help them get to that point.”

McDaniels caught an early flight Friday to arrive at the Sixers’ practice facility in Camden for shootaround, where he had his first meeting with coach Doc Rivers. During that conversation, McDaniels told his coach, “I’ve never had a play called for me in my life. I don’t need one,” a level of self-awareness Rivers said “is already a head start.” McDaniels is averaging career highs in points (10.6), rebounds (4.8), assists (two), and minutes (26.7) and is a career 34.2% three-point shooter.

That production is why Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey believes Rivers will be confident in keeping McDaniels on the floor during the playoffs more often than Matisse Thybulle, who was repeatedly left wide open last season and then traded Thursday to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the same four-team deal. Yet McDaniels perhaps most thrives as a versatile defender, with an ability to guard every position from point guard and power forward. He is averaging a career-high 1.2 steals per game.

“I feel like, at this size, to be able to move how I can, it’s rare,” McDaniels said. “So I feel like I can use that to my advantage.”

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McDaniels took the home locker previously occupied by Thybulle, a visual representation that the NBA is a business. As others went through their pregame shooting routines, McDaniels watched film with player development associate coach TJ Dileo and head video coordinator Eli Kell-Abrams from the courtside seats. There were subtle signs that McDaniels was the new guy, such as when Georges Niang physically turned him around during the high-five line following the national anthem and when he hung back as teammates executed intricate pre-tipoff handshake routines that have been perfected over the course of the season.

During the Sixers’ comeback win, however, McDaniels felt a competitive energy from the bench that he said “can only bring the best out of you.” And as Rivers watched the on-court action unfold, the coach immediately thought, “Jalen’s going to be really good for this team.”

“There were so many areas during the game defensively,” Rivers said, “and with his length that I thought he could have made a huge difference — and he will.”

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McDaniels left the Wells Fargo Center to catch the Sixers’ charter train to New York City, and will spend the next several hours catching up on “baseline” offensive and defensive concepts. He knows cutting and running the floor will be key while playing off stars Joel Embiid and James Harden, which he called a “dream come true.”

Rivers said there’s a “strong chance” McDaniels will step on the floor as a Sixer for the first time against the Nets. After that, there are two more games before the All-Star break, which will offer McDaniels the chance to take a breather.

Until then, McDaniels believes his high-energy, complementary style means he “can be plugged in anywhere” as he navigates a whirlwind start to his Sixers tenure.

“I’m here now,” McDaniels said. “Got to make the most of it.”