CAMDEN, N.J. -- Health. That has been such an elusive aspect in recent seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers. Whether it was Joel Embiid being held back by his knee or a number of ailments to other players up and down the roster, the Sixers have just not been able to stay away from the injury bug.
Throughout the preseason, the Sixers have been able to have Embiid participate fully in practice and he has moved well enough in game action that he has the vote of confidence of coach Nick Nurse and his teammates. The fact that the Sixers aren't dealing with any type of serious injury before opening night on Tuesday is almost a breath of fresh air for Tyrese Maxey and Co. after previous seasons.
"We’re all healthy," Maxey smiled. "Like, a lot of guys are
pretty healthy, and I mean, I think that’s different. Preseason, I think last year, it was kind of hard to get PG (Paul George) in. He was just going through a number of things. Joel was going through some stuff. Our first 5’s been pretty healthy. We've been out there pretty much every day and that’s what helps."
While Maxey and the Sixers will certainly take the fact that they can build chemistry in the middle of training camp and continue to grow as a group, it allows Nurse and the coaching staff to be able to implement their game plan and get everybody up to speed on what they're looking for in the coming season. That's an opportunity that the staff hasn't had in the past.
"It's pretty obvious that that's helpful, right?" said Nurse. "I mean, it is. It's pretty obvious that that's helpful because you can just get to so many more things from offensive sets, lots of special team work, and then lots of end of game work. Being on the same page and organized in late and close games, both sides of the ball, which we've been working on pretty heavily, is critical, and it's something we haven't been nearly as comfortable in the last couple years, for sure, at this point of the year."
A healthy Sixers team has the opportunity to really make a run at the title. Of course, it's October, and the vibes are high, and the energy is great. Nurse will tell the story of how great camp has been for Philadelphia as the Sixers push forward. Having a full team has been a big part of that.
"It’s been a lot of fun," Nurse said of camp. "The guys have been amazing, as far as just attitude and coaching them. Really fun couple weeks. Again, their energy and their focus and their just desire to try to get better quick has been great, and that’s always really fun to coach. But healthy, somebody mentioned, that’s been much more fun than it has been. There’s been a lot of things that have made it an enjoyable camp, so just keep on working, keep getting better."
Health. A luxury the Sixers haven't had for quite some time.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers discuss how healthy team has been in preseason
