Thread by @SixersAdam

Here we go! #Sixers 2021-22 Media Day begins in minutes. First we’ll hear from Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers, then each of the players will speak to the media. Follow along here, I’ll put together every piece of information you need in this thread:

Doc Rivers and Daryl Morey are here. Doc is already yelling at Howard Eskin

“I still think the world of him,” Doc says of Ben Simmons.

Doc says his post-Game 7 quote is not one of the issues with Ben.

“We’re disappointed he’s not here,” Daryl Morey says. “We’re taking our journey to be a championship team… I only have one focus, which is doing what gives us the best chance to win a championship.”

Doc Rivers says Simmons’ reasons for wanting out are not exactly clear.

“It’s tough to play here. But Ben didn’t say that… that’s just an assumption… Losing, it’s amazing the impact it has. This has happened more than you know.”

Doc Rivers says he won’t give the percentage of players who are vaccinated, but we are “very very very good.” Doc says it’s a concern league-wide, however

“We have more ways to improve than most one seeds and most contenders,” Morey says. “We’re on the upswing.”

Doc: “this is the best young group I’ve ever had… that group is, for whatever reason, they’re just workers.”

Asked about Embiid + Green’s comments about the fans over the summer, Doc says “we all have to improve.”

“I don’t know. Fans are fans… this is an intense fanbase… I’ve always viewed that as a good thing. I would rather have that. I just like people caring.”

Morey: “Once players are here they understand fans are trying to push everyone in the right direction.”

Doc says he’s coaching everyone the way he normally would, not letting the Simmons situation impact that.

He says the goal for Joel Embiid is to play more games.

“We still want to develop a couple things… as a team we need to do our spacing better.”

Doc: “one thing as a coach I’ve never figured out is trade rumors… for players, hearing their names is not easy for them… that’s part of the league now, that’s a tough part.”

Daryl says he met with Ben Simmons six or seven weeks ago, and that there’s been more meeting with his camp since.

“You can look back at how these things play out… we expect him to be back, we expect him to be a 76er.”

Doc says the players have talked about the Ben Simmons situation as a collective unit.

Daryl Morey won’t get into specifics regarding fines that may be imposed to Ben Simmons, but says the CBA spells out what happens.

Doc on Tyrese Maxey: “his next step is defensively, but I’ll tell you, that kid works… high character, he just has all the ingredients…”

Doc on Maxey: “he’s gonna be key with or without [Ben Simmons].”

Morey: “we’re going to have internal improvement, if opportunities present themselves my job is to look at those… most of the teams we‘re chasing are in the other direction”

Doc Rivers highlights the additions of Andre Drummond and Georges Niang.

Rivers says the group watched the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Hawks as a team.

“In those games that Joel doesn’t play, having Drummond on your team is not a bad thing. We’ve got to get him back to where he was.”

— Doc Rivers

Someone just essentially asked whether or not Ben Simmons is soft (lol). Doc, predictably, said no. He mentioned that Simmons improving his free throw shooting would be a big step.

“If we get him, we plan on working on it.”

Doc says the defensive end as a whole and the offensive pace are where the Sixers will miss Ben Simmons the most.

Doc just spoke about Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman as “winning players” who don’t shoot

That’s it for Rivers and Morey. Coming up: Joel Embiid.

Joel Embiid is here.

Joel says his knee has been fine, and that he’s been working out all summer.

Joel says “of course” the team wants Ben Simmons back. “The way I look at it is that we all gotta be better. After we lost, I tried to figure out ways I can be better so we can win something, but I think you just have to have some self-awareness…”

“I don’t think I said anything,” Joel says about his quote about the turning point of Game 7. “If there’s anyone who should be mad it’s Matisse for missing a freaking free throw… I don’t have any regrets because I didn’t call out anybody, I just started the facts… I’m honest.”

“We gotta have self-awareness, we gotta figure out ways to get better as players and as a team… I’m not perfect… I missed shots, I’m not perfect, I make mistakes. It happens. All I can do is try to play as hard as I can, but we all honestly just gotta grow up…”

Embiid just joked that if the Warriors offered Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for him, he would say yes. Stressed that trade rumors are “part of the business.”

“People don’t really look at you as a human being, and that’s not fair, but at the end of the day… you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.. it is unfortunate… but then again, it is a business.”

Asked about the “fans need to be better” stuff, Embiid says he personally wouldn’t want to be in a city other than Philadelphia because of how much they care.

“It’s only fair for them to be pissed off when we lose… I’m grateful for it…”

Joel cont’d: “I think they have the right to voice their frustrations… I don’t want the fans to scare people off. Everyone knows Philly is a tough city… I love it, I personally don’t have any problems with it… not everybody views it the same.”

Joel on his defense: “you can look at advanced numbers and defensive metrics and stuff… it doesn’t matter who’s on the floor with me, I’ve always been able to be the anchor of the defense… as a big, you’re asked to control everything.”

That’s right, Joel!!!

Joel is asked what he would have said to Ben if he got the chance to sit with him. Joel thought for a few seconds and said:

“I’m disappointed… I would look at it in the way that, I mean, look at what we’ve been able to do… I gotta be better, everyone’s gotta be better…”

“I’m disappointed in the fact that we’ve seen the results, we know how it is, we know how it looks, we win, we’re all winners… at the end of the day, everyone wins… winning cures everything, and we’ve been able to do that in the regular season… it’s time to take the next step”

More Embiid: “I really hope [Ben] changes his mind… we’ve been building this thing around us…”

Embiid clarifies that he’s “disappointed” that the situation has reached this point.

“I’m disappointed that he’s not here. He knows it too, he knows we can win together. A few of us have complained about the fans. As a whole, we need to just not care. Play better. Play our game.”

“If you’re not comfortable doing something, then don’t do it.”

Embiid said that he and Simmons were “closer than ever” last season.

“I don’t go out, I just stay with my family or play video games,” he says. “But I believe that our relationship was much closer than ever before.”

Embiid is asked about what he wants to see from Ben on the floor if he returns.

“We know what he brings defensively, but even without that, offensively, he creates a lot of shots for our three-point shooters… something he’s gotta focus on is also on the offensive rebounds…”

Embiid just rattled off a bunch of anecdotes and stats about ways he needs to be better. And with that, his media availability is complete.

Up next: Aaron Henry.

Aaron Henry says since Summer League, he’s been focusing on shooting and ball-handling. “Just trying to be as ready for tomorrow as I can be.”

Henry says his goal for the regular season is to be able to say he got better on and off the court.

Henry says he learned the team’s style of play in Summer League.

Henry says he hopes to take a similar path as Paul Reed, who won G-League MVP (and earned an NBA deal). “I’m just eager to listen and learn.”

That’s it for Aaron Henry. Up next: Furkan Korkmaz.

Korkmaz: “personally, I like Ben a lot… it’s a business, anything can happen, but personally, I’d like to play with him… he’s still a Sixer, so I hope everything is going to be well for him and us, too… I just want to wish him healthy and good life… I’ll be on his back.”

Korkmaz was asked about the legendary hype video from last week. “My PR team, they created a really good video… I’m happy about that video…”

On his free agency process, Korkmaz says he knew there were teams interested, but he’s glad he made the decision to come back to Philly and “help the city get the championship.”

That’s it for Furkan. Coming up next: Shake Milton.

Shake says the team has talked a bit about Ben Simmons. “The message has been the same: we want Ben back, and we think about him as part of this team.”

Shake: “Just trying to control what you can control, coming in here, being a professional and take care of your business.”

Shake says the Simmons situation doesn’t need to become a distraction. “We kind of recognize it’s gonna be a whirlwind until whatever happens happens.”

Shake says he’s much more comfortable having a season under his belt with Doc.

He says he’s focused on his defense, because he wants to play “when it matters.”

“All about defense and threes.”

Shake says a successful season for him is the team reaching the Eastern Conference Finals and then the NBA Finals.

He says not playing when it mattered most ate at him last season.

Shake says he understands that he and Tyrese Maxey will have to step up in Simmons’ absence. “If the roles change this year, I feel like we’ll be ready.”

That’s it for Shake Milton. Up next: Tobias Harris.

Tobias says he put a big emphasis on his body and health over the summer. He also mentions doing work off the bounce behind the three-point line.

“Being able to shoot those threes off the bounce and contested two-pointers as well.”

Tobias says he’s reached out and spoken to Ben. “To be honest, I haven’t been in that situation where he’s in… I’ve been in trade rumors and whatnot, but that’s not this situation…”

Tobias Harris: “we’ve tried to be there, and we are there. The situation has been what it is, but as a group and as a team, we start training camp tomorrow and I don’t think [Ben’s] coming through that door.”

Tobias. “He’s still part of our team, he’s got 15 guys in that locker room… that’s still his brothers, and he’s our brother as well. We hope the situation gets resolved, if it doesn’t, we move on… the 29 teams that play us, they don’t care.”

Tobias stressed that last year’s playoffs were a collective failure, and that’s what he’s communicated with Ben.

“It’s unfortunate, but clicks sell, drama sells… this is fuel to the fire, Ben is a very popular player, so what’s gonna get people to watch a TV screen is more and more chatter… this is one of the things I relayed to him. It is what it is.”

Tobias says he won’t share what Ben Simmons has told him when they’ve spoken.

Tobias acknowledges his struggles in the Atlanta series — calls them “missed opportunities” — but says it’s “a new ballgame” this season

Tobias: “I’m a winner, so any time the goal isn’t achieved, it’s motivating for me.”

Tobias mentions the Sixers missing open looks and the Hawks making contested shots as what he noticed from rewatching the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Hawks.

That’s it for Tobias Harris. Up next: Seth Curry.

Curry on the Simmons situation: “it’s the business of basketball… I mean, Ben knows how I feel about him, I love playing with him and all that, but I just mind my business.”

Curry says he hopes to continue to figure out how to make the game easier for Joel Embiid.

Curry says he feels great mentally and physically (Curry notably did have COVID-19 last season).

Curry asserts his confidence in his abilities as a combo-guard, which may be needed in the absence of Ben Simmons.

“Whatever the team needs from me, I’m ready to do it… I want to be a well-rounded player that does a lot on the floor.”

That’s it for Seth Curry. Up next: Grant Riller.

Grant Riller calls this a “huge opportunity.” Says he didn’t have many chances to show what he can do last year, and this season is big for him to prove he has what it takes to play in the NBA.

Riller says he learned a lot about the NBA game last year, and is looking to build on that so he can help the team win in any way he can.

That’s it for Grant Riller. Up next: Georges Niang.

Niang says the biggest reason he came to Philadelphia was a free agency call with Doc Rivers. “I think Philly’s a great fit for me.”

Mentions specifically opening up the floor for Embiid + Tobias.

Niang says his only goal is to help the team win games, whether that’s guarding bigger guys as a small-ball five, helping space the floor or guarding multiple positions on defense.

Niang says he wants to get 1% better every day. “That’s kind of a motto I’ve lived by.”

Niang says he can “definitely” picture himself playing a small-ball five.

“I understand the dynamic of having a floor spacer, and I think I’m capable of that.”

Niang calls it a “bonus” for him that he gets to play with Embiid, who commands double-teams so frequently.

That’s it for Georges Niang. Up next: Charles Bassey.

Bassey says he’s already learning from Embiid, Drummond and others.

And that’s it for Charles Bassey. Up next: Matisse Thybulle.

Thybulle calls the Olympics “a great opportunity to just play basketball.”

Thybulle talked about expanding his role in an in-game setting and being more of a focal point. Called it “pushing the boundaries” of what he can do.

Thybulle says the Simmons situation is “as much of a distraction as you want it to be.”

Thybulle: “I’ve said this before: I would always rather play in a city where people care… you want to play for people who will support you, but also tell you when you’re messing up. All people need to be held accountable in life.”

Thybulle says he and Simmons have not specifically discussed who is to blame for the team’s Game 7 loss.

That’s it for Thybulle. Up next: Jaden Springer.

Springer on adjusting to the NBA: “the grind is different… everyone is working.”

Springer says he learned from watching the way last year’s rookies played during Summer League. Mentioned those guys being “in control.”

Springer says he’s been cool with everybody, but hasn’t leaned on anyone in particular.

“I feel like everyone is cool.”

That’s it for Jaden Springer. Up next: Andre Drummond.

Drummond laughs about his supposed “beef” with Joel Embiid.

“I have no animosity towards him, nor does he.”

“It’s unspoken, there’s nothing that needs to be said… we’re in the NBA, what kind of real beef can you really have?”

Drummond: “my priority is being open-minded and accepting what comes.”

Drummond on skeptics: “I have a lot of basketball left in my career… I have nothing to prove. My career says what I’ve done… I’m here to help out in any way possible… it doesn’t have to be basketball…”

Drummond: “this team has a great chance to be great.” Mentions bringing needed toughness off the bench.

Drummond says it doesn’t matter whether you start or come off the bench; what matters is whether or not you’re helping the team wins.

“That’s why I’m here.”

That’s it for Drummond. Up next: Danny Green.

Green says the team has talked to Ben, though he hasn’t done so recently. Says he’s figuring out what he needs to do as if they have someone injured or out for any other reason.

“We love our fans,” Green says. “In terms of players, my thing is we’re always gonna back our teammates, our brothers.”

Green echoes Doc Rivers’ comments about the young players working hard. Mentions “Zay” (Isaiah Joe) and Tyrese Maxey specifically.

Danny Green says nothing is unrealistic for Tyrese Maxey because he’s “special.”

“I believe one day he will be a star… he’s a special player.”

Green says everyone needs to step up as far as veteran leadership. Named most of the team as guys who can help.

That’s it for Danny Green. Up next: Isaiah Joe.

Isaiah Joe says he wants to be the best shooter on the floor at all times. Says he also focused on improving his ball-handling, playmaking and defending.

Joe says he’s at 100% health-wise after a Summer League knee injury.

That’s it for Isaiah Joe. Up next: Paul Reed.

BBall Paul says his goal for his second NBA season is helping the team win a championship. He also says he wants to make the Rookie/Sophomore All-Star Weekend event, and that he wants to shoot 45 percent from three (!).

BBall Paul said he wanted to work harder from being around Tyrese Maxey and Isaiah Joe. “I couldn’t be lacking, so I made sure I worked just as hard as those guys.”

That’s it for Paul Reed. Up next: Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey says his biggest priorities since Summer League have been getting better on and off the court every day. He mentions preparing his mind, and says he really got into studying film.

Maxey says the report about Klutch Sports wanting him out of Philly was wrong. “Me and Rich [Paul] were laughing at it.”

Maxey says “at the end of the day, there’s one goal in mind,” which is to win. “Whatever I can do to help us win… that’s what I’m going to try to execute.”

Asked about Danny Green saying he could be a future star: “I appreciate that from Danny… he’s 54 years old and has had 32 years in the league.”

Maxey says the pull-up three is a shot he’s worked on a lot because of the different coverages he sees out of P&R. “Just trying to get more consistent, having more confidence and things like that.”

Maxey says he doesn’t pay attention to people saying this is a big year for him. Says he’s focused on playing and working to get better.

Tyrese Maxey laughing about finally meeting @PaulHudrick in person, which I can confirm is a wonderful experience

“I’ve never been this excited to practice,” Maxey says with a laugh

And with that, Sixers 2021-22 Media Day is complete. Thanks to all for following along!