December 12, 2024
Kyle Ross/Imagn Images
Are Paul George and the Sixers on the verge of turning things around?
CAMDEN, NJ -- The Sixers held their second consecutive day of practice on Thursday morning, punctuating a four-day layoff between games which the entire group has expressed appreciation for.
Following the practice, Sixers wings Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. and head coach Nick Nurse met with the media. In this edition of Sixers soundbites, here is a batch of quotes and tidbits from the team's facility:
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• George on whether the team is finding its defensive identity in recent games:
"Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I couldn't tell you exactly who we are right now, but I think we'll find it and figure out who we want to be. We are a defensive team, with who we have on this roster, but we're a team that can score the ball as well."
• George on the time he and Joel Embiid spent together when they were both rehabbing injuries:
"I don't think it helped much other than us spending more time together. But that was more just getting our conditioning and our cardio... I think, you know, as we're going through it together, obviously, spending more time with each other, definitely helped with the relationship on and off the court."
• George on whether he wants to force the issue and ensure he is operating in two-man actions with Joel Embiid, or simply let those opportunities come in the flow of the game:
"I think it's a bit of both. On the court, like, he's a presence. I could beat my man off the bounce but see Joel and he's wide open -- the ball's got to go to Joel. He's such a force out there, he's got to touch the ball, he's got to get the ball. But then, a lot of it has to happen naturally. I just pick up on where he's at on the floor and still be aggressive, still look to score, playmake. When there's a dose of that, then now let's play off the big fella."
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• Oubre on the motivation behind his recent offensive rebounding surge:
"I want the ball, man. Any way I can get the ball -- but also, I do know that extra possessions will give us a better chance of winning the game. So, yeah, I was in that corner just crashing. I wanted the ball, and the ball was coming my way because my energy was finding it. But at the end of the day, man, that's what we need to do, and that's what I'm going to continue to do."
• Oubre on whether switching is his preferred style of team defense:
"I don't care. I love guarding, but switching -- you keep your man in front easier because there's somebody always in front of him. No matter what the coverage is, I love to do it. I love to go through screens, rock my shoulders and all of that. Just getting stops is my main priority."
• Oubre on his improved offensive efficiency of late:
"Obviously, with Joel back, him and Tyrese have the two-man game. That opens up a lot of us on the perimeter and in the [dunker's spot] for me cutting and stuff. I'm just getting back to my niche, which is cutting, slashing, making shots on the outside. I want to do more, obviously. I want to continue to get better and showcase more. But right now, I'm just focusing on making the right reads, making the right plays and being in the right spots for whenever they need an outlet."
Kelly Oubre Jr. put on an absolute masterclass in starring in a role during the second half yesterday:
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) December 9, 2024
- Three offensive rebounds in Q3, all leading to open Sixers 3PA (two 3PM)
- Three steals
- Momentum-shifting corner three + offensive foul drawn on next play
Full highlights: https://t.co/vQvMOZppGI pic.twitter.com/1oDdtcOE99
• Nurse on the team's use of zone defense:
"Sometimes I'm thinking we're way too big for what we're playing against but I don't want to just match up size-wise, so the zone looks better. Some of the times you've probably seen it that one of our zones puts our center in the middle and one of them doesn't... Just trying some of those different things, too, I think that if we're going to play really big, which means [Andre Drummond] and Joel or Joel and [Guerschon Yabusele] -- I consider that big, you know? -- I think the zone becomes part of what we do a little bit, based on us more than anything else. The other night, it was a good rhythm-changer. It's always a rhythm-changer."
• Nurse on the timeline of the return of rookie center Adem Bona, who has missed two games with a left knee contusion and did not practice on Thursday:
"It should be soon. I think it's taking a little bit longer than we'd hoped at this point. So I think it's day-to-day."
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