‘It’s been a little bit shocking’: New Sixers talk trades, roles and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
DETROIT — In a rather rare scene this season, the Sixers’ star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George was fully present and active at the team’s Friday morning shootaround.
So were the Sixers’ three latest additions.
Just before they hit the floor for shootaround at Little Caesars Arena, here’s some of what Quentin Grimes, Jared Butler and Chuma Okeke had to say:
Grimes
With the NBA world reeling from the Mavs’ deal sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers, Grimes said he was a “little shocked” by Dallas’ decision to trade him to the Sixers.
“When the whole Luka trade happened … if that happened, anything can happen,” he said. “But it’s been a little bit shocking. I thought I was going to be in Dallas for a little while, but that’s how the NBA works.”
A few familiar faces should help with the acclimation process.
“I feel like I can fit in pretty well,” Grimes said. “I’ve known Tyrese. I’ve known Kelly (Oubre Jr.) from Houston; I went to high school there. I know (Eric Gordon) from (current Houston and former Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson), so I’ve got a good rapport with a few of the guys.
“I feel like I can be a 3-and-D spacer, make plays off the dribble. I can try to take the pressure off of Joel when he gets doubled and everything. I can knock down shots, and come in and try to help this team make plays and win games.”
Like Maxey, Grimes is a 24-year-old former Texas high school basketball standout.
Back in 2018, both suited up for the United States under-18 team and won gold at the FIBA Americas Championship.
“He’s always been the same way he plays now,” Grimes said of Maxey. “He’s always had that same joy he played with in high school. You see what he does on night-to-night basis, averaging almost 30-plus (points). … I’m going to just come in and try to help him anyway I can.”
Grimes comes to the Sixers with a 3-and-D reputation, though he believes he’ll be handy in ways beyond those core aspects of his game.
“I feel like this whole year in Dallas, I showed I’m capable of playing on the ball, off the ball, making a lot of plays with my teammates out,” he said. “Luka out or Kyrie (Irving) out, I can step in and fill that role.
“I feel like I can do that here, just playing with the ball in my hands — making plays for Joel and PG, getting guys involved, or getting myself involved off the dribble.”
Butler
Unsurprisingly, Butler smiled when asked about his career-high 26-point night against the Sixers on Jan. 8.
“Obviously, basketball is a production-based business,” he said. “I guess they liked what they saw and it went from there.”
As Butler noted, he was didn’t suddenly flash on the Sixers’ radar with a single game. He called the team “super interested” going into the 2021 NBA draft. The Sixers ultimately selected Jaden Springer with the 28th pick and Butler fell to the Utah Jazz at No. 40, partly because of scrutiny over his heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
“I’m super excited because I felt like they really wanted me,” he said, “and they were extremely intrigued, even during the pre-draft process.”
Butler, who’s on a two-way contract, has 120 games of NBA experience over the past four years with the Jazz, Thunder and Wizards. He’s aiming to grab a significant, stable role.
“I just think clearly defining what I can do,” he said. “I think it helps a lot of teams and a lot of guys understand me more. So if I can be a playmaker and defender, a knock-down shooter, being in those roles can clearly define how I can help teams and give me an opportunity.”
Okeke
For Okeke, opportunity looks like a 10-day contract.
“I know they’ve got scorers here already, so I’ll probably just do the little things,” the 26-year-old forward said. “Crash for rebounds and just play defense. You can never go wrong with that. Mostly just playing hard and playing defense, and playing unselfishly. … The rest will take care of itself. Just control what you can control.”
Okeke’s mainly been known for his defensive talents. Offensively, he was a subpar shooter during his four seasons on the Magic — 38.3 percent from the floor, 31.8 percent from three-point range.
During his G League stint this year with the Westchester Knicks, Okeke fired away. He took 9.3 three-pointers per game and hit 35.8 percent.
“I just wanted to get reps up,” he said. “I’ve been working on my three-point shot a lot over the summer. Playing in the G League, they gave me a lot of confidence to go in there and get those reps. It’s been turning out pretty good for me.
“Hopefully, that translates. Of course the amount of threes will probably go down, but the fact that I was able to take those threes in competition, in games, that’ll be good for me.”
