Laugh at the makeshift Sixers’ struggles if you like. Just know they’re living their best lives.
The Sixers have been without an average of eight regular rotation players for over a month. However, those playing see it as a blessing just to be on the floor
After the 76ers extended their losing streak to double digits, Quentin Grimes was asked how he internalizes losing.
“I would remind myself I got the best job in the world,” Grimes said Thursday night, following a 126-113 setback against the Milwaukee Bucks. “I mean, I get to play basketball every day. I’m healthy, and everything like that.”
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He learned this mindset during what amounted to a 213-day stint with the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to the Sixers on Feb. 4.
Klay Thompson, who won four NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors, had health-related ups and downs before signing with the Mavs. He constantly reiterated to Grimes that they had the best jobs in the world — regardless of the outcome of games.
“That kind of really stuck with me to put in perspective that I do play basketball,” Grimes said. “People would love to do this every day. I get to come in and work every single day.
“So I love to do what I do, even though we’re losing now.”
But they’re just not losing.
The Sixers are giving a masterclass in tanking.
They’ve played without an average of eight regular rotation players for over a month. The goal is to lose enough games to keep their first-round pick in June’s draft, which is top-six protected.
They dropped to 23-55 after Saturday’s much-needed, 114-109, loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers have now lost 11 straight and 28 of 31 games.
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Most importantly, Saturday’s loss put them 2 ½ games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets for the NBA’s fifth-worst record with four games remaining. They’re also 1 ½ games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the fourth-worst mark.
“Even though we are losing, I feel like we are coming in with the right mindset,” Grimes said.
That’s because, no matter how bad things are, most of the makeshift Sixers are getting opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise receive.
Think about it. Most of the players currently playing spent time in the NBA G League.
Lonnie Walker IV’s journey was different. The Reading native came to the Sixers on Feb. 21 after agreeing to a buyout of his contract with Lithuania’s Basketball Club Žalgiris.
Meanwhile, Jalen Hood-Schifino only played two games this season because of injuries with the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded to the Utah Jazz on Feb. 2. He was waived four days later and signed a two-way contract with the Sixers on March 1.
He basically was out of basketball at the age of 21, and Walker, a five-year NBA veteran, was overseas. For them, this is about opportunity — not wins and losses.
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The same goes for Colin Castleton, who signed a 10-day contract with the Sixers on Thursday. His deal comes after the G League standout had two 10-day stints with the Toronto Raptors.
Think he’s concerned about wins and losses when the alternative would have been going back to the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate? No sir.
“I’m [focused on] continuing off my previous stop, just continuing to do what I do well,” Castleton said. “Even though this is the last 10 days, I’m just doing what I can to maximize the minutes that I am getting and just the opportunity. … So I’m just taking advantage of it and whatever comes with it.”
The former Memphis Grizzlies two-way player had two points on 1-for-4 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, and four fouls while logging a little over 15 minutes on Thursday in his first game as a Sixer. That came one day after learning the team would sign him.
Plenty more opportunities will be had in what will appear to be glorified Pro-Am games during the upcoming road trip against the Miami Heat (Monday) and Washington Wizards (Wednesday). The season ends with home games against the Atlanta Hawks (Friday) and Chicago Bulls (April 13).
No one should overanalyze performances in these games.
Most of their recent opponents are tanking, just like the Sixers, or they’ve decided to give key rotation players a rest, knowing they can win against the Sixers without them.
» READ MORE: Sixers just another mediocre franchise these days. Big-time contracts may continue to set them back.
That has led to the majority of recent Sixers games being unwatchable for casual fans. And don’t expect things to improve.
The team hasn’t practiced or held a pregame shootaround recently while remaining committed to tanking.
Yet these players are getting minutes and assuming roles they usually wouldn’t have. Most importantly, like Grimes noted, they get to play basketball every day.
So with that mindset change, the perceived biggest losers actually are winning.
“Yeah, it’s been fantastic,” said Jared Butler, who the Sixers acquired in a trade from the Washington Wizards on Feb. 6 before converting his two-way contract into a standard deal.
“I don’t think people underestimate,” he continued. “It’s been four years, and it’s my first time getting straight-up games where I know I’m going to play. Like, the fourth year? Somebody telling you just wait four years until you’re going to be able to play, get a real opportunity. It’s a blessing. I’m just glad I’m healthy and I’m able to play. So I think it’s good for my career.”