The Sixers did not win a game in the month of February and they are still looking for a win in March, but victories are not the be-all, end-all for the team this season.
It has been a rare sighting at Sixers practice, but Friday when the media was allowed in PCOM’s gym, team president/general manager Sam Hinkie was off to the side chatting with Brett Brown.
The two talk every day, but not for the public to see. We can only imagine the nature of the conversation, but evaluating players that are currently on the Sixers' roster would be a good bet.
One newcomer that looks more and more like a keeper in a quiet way is Henry Sims, who has moved into the starting center position since being traded to the Sixers from the Cavaliers in the Spencer Hawes deal.
“You can see how he carries himself and what is important to him,” Brown said of Sims. “I think he pairs up well with Thaddeus [Young], and I do think there is a physical side to him that is attractive to us given what we have had available to work with, so he is a little bit unique.”
Sims has a maturity that isn’t often seen in first- and second-year players because they are coming to the pros with a year or maybe two years of college experience.
Sims spent four years at Georgetown.
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“I feel like four years at Georgetown in Coach [John] Thompson’s system and how he expects players to approach games and even dress for games, I mean, we wore suits to every game, it helped,” Sims said. “I definitely think I have a more business approach when it comes to basketball. I mean, I still have fun, but I understand that it is a job.”
A big part of Sims' job is his defensive presence. In five games with the Sixers, including the only four starts of his NBA career, the 6-foot-10 center is averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game.
It has been a crash course since his arrival in the City of Brotherly Love two weeks ago, but fortunately for Sims he has a solid basketball foundation.
“I take that back to high school days,” Sims said of his defensive knowledge and discipline. “My high school coach (Pat Clatchey of Mount Saint Joseph's in Baltimore) was one of the most defensive crazy guys I have ever been around. But it paid off. He is a great coach and a lot of great players came out of his program.
"When I went to Coach Thompson that helped, and then Mike Brown before this helped even, and then here is where it all has to come together.”