The Process 2.0: Photos from the Sixers’ Blue-White scrimmage
The Sixers debuted a new look with point forward and former first-overall pick Ben Simmons leading the way.
Simmons dishes out a no-look pass during the Sixers' pre-preseason Blue-White intrasquad scrimmage at the Palestra, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017.
Bobby Chen/BillyPennThe Process is over. Or perhaps it’s just beginning. Armed with consecutive first-overall picks in point forward Ben Simmons and guard Markelle Fultz, the new-look Sixers debuted new faces and new lineups as the team seeks its first playoff berth since the 2012-2013 season.
The Simmons-led Blue Team lost in overtime of the three-quarter scrimmage, 124-122. But the Sixers took home a win: no injuries.
Below is a look at new Sixers from the college game (Fultz), the international stage (Furkan Korkmaz), and veteran free agency (J.J. Reddick and Amir Johnson, along with the newly brought-on Emeka Okafor and Kris Humphries).
Point forward Ben Simmons slams home a dunk in the Sixers' intrasquad pre-preseason tilt at the Palestra. Simmons, who redshirted his first season with the team and who has not played competitive basketball since declaring for the 2016 draft from LSU, showed off almost everything but an outside shot. There were his trademark no-look passes. There were steals leading to coast-to-coast dunks. There were ambidextrous layups and finishes. There were dreamshakes in the post.
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
Simmons' fellow backcourt facilitator and first-overall pick Markelle Fultz will look to be the Sixers' second top pick in the last five years to actually play his first season. (Of his predecessors Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Ben Simmons, only Okafor played his rookie year.)
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
A challenge the Sixers face this season is reconciling the roles of Simmons and Fultz, both ball-dominant in-the-paint players who are used to being the primary facilator. After playing opposite each other for two quarters, Fultz joined Simmons on Blue Team for a glimpse into whether they can play next to each other. "They sure can coexist," head coach Brett Brown said. "I know that they really want to make it work."
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
Simmons goes against power forward Dario Saric in the paint. The point forward will play primary facilitator and guard fours like Saric, Coach Brett Brown said at a preseason meeting with the media. General sentiment from Brown: dude is a monster. "He put it into another gear," Brown said of Simmons' scrimmage performance. "His breakaway speed, his ability to get to the rim with his size, or find others, is elite."
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
The Sixers' 2016 breakout star Joel Embiid – self-dubbed "The Process" – greets fans at the Palestra prior to the Blue-White scrimmage. Embiid, who was held out of the latter part of last season and most of this summer after knee surgery, returned to five-on-five practice last week.
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
Rookie guard Furkan Korkmaz drives past Sixers starting wing Robert Covington for a layup. The 20-year-old Korkmaz comes to the Sixers fresh from the 2017 EuroBasket, where he represented Turkey as a key bench contributor. Korkmaz, a 2016 first-round draft pick, rejoins his former Anadolu Efes teammate Dario Saric on the Sixers, bringing outside shooting as well deceptive athleticism and length, according to Coach Brett Brown. Also: see below for veteran JJ Reddick's impressions on Korkmaz's Blue-White performance.
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
New to the team is veteran JJ Reddick. The perimeter sniper and career 42 percent 3-point shooter boosts a Sixers shooting unit that shot 34 percent from long range and represented the bottom of the league's offensive efficiency rating.
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
Veteran Amir Johnson scores on a layup. The stretch-four joins the Sixers from a Boston Celtics team that made the Eastern Conference finals, bringing the Sixers both rim protection and floor spacing.
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
The Sixers' 2015 top pick Jahlil Okafor looks to be the odd man out in a crowded frontcourt of Embiid, Simmons, Saric, and Johnson. The classic back-to-the-basket style Okafor, who dropped weight this offseason to shift to a more mobile play style, showed off an outside shot and a three-pointer during the Blue-White scrimmage. It is unclear what role he will have on this 2017-2018 Sixers squad.
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
Newly signed Sixers Jacob Pullen (left), Emeka Okafor (center), and Kris Humphries (right).
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
Sixers fans in Simmons jerseys wait in line for the Blue-White scrimmage at the Palestra.
Bobby Chen/BillyPenn
After ads disrespect Philly street art, London oat milk brand faces backlash, calls to invest in local creators
Repeating series of the posters, which affect an edgy style, were placed over artists’ work around the city.
FAQ: Your guide to getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Philadelphia
You’ve got questions, we’ve got quick and easy answers.
Virtual internships (which aren’t going away) can actually work really well, say Philly college students and employers
There's no location barrier when it's all remote — and being good at Zoom is now a vital workforce skill.
Philly has more than 100,000 vaccine doses to distribute, with only half spoken for
Some of the backlog is for second shots. The health department says it's working to reduce the overflow.
These charts and maps track COVID vaccinations in Philly and Pa.
Compare the pace of vaccine delivery across the city, region and state.
Philly on the rebound: Over 100k people walked through Center City last week
The numbers bode well for businesses in the heart of the city after a rough year.
Map: This is where COVID vaccine providers are located around Philly
More than 200 locations are approved to receive doses from the city health department.
It is time to destroy spotted lanternfly eggs before they hatch
Philadelphia, consider it your springtime mission to scrape these bugs out of existence.
Philly bike share hits a new record, and thefts are down
Indego is in the middle of a major expansion.
Strivers’ Row opens in Kensington as Philly’s first Latino-owned distillery
Soon you'll able to order a bottle of Papa Juan, a whiskey-based twist on the Dominican drink mamajuana.
Secret Philly: The history of Swann Memorial Fountain, from execution site to temperance monument
Logan Circle’s picturesque oasis has a fascinating backstory.
At least one quarter of all Philly residents have gotten a vaccine shot
The pace of vaccination has picked up, but a third of doses are delivered at the Convention Center FEMA site — which is slated to close at the end of April.
A powerful new City Hall position to combat child welfare scandals is up for debate
The youth ombudsperson proposal pits young Philadelphians against the very office tasked with protecting them.
Italian American groups and Councilmember Squilla sue Mayor Kenney for nixing Columbus Day
Filed in federal court, the lawsuit also cites the removal of the Rizzo statue and the demotion of a police captain.
Wolf says he’d veto Philly rep’s bill to keep trans girls out of school sports
The assertion that boys are always physically stronger has been disproven. Advocates call the proposed legislation “cruel.”
Donations to North Philly riding club skyrocket after confusion over ‘Concrete Cowboy’ fundraiser
The Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club is still searching for a new permanent home.
Despite national outcry, Philly police slow to implement mental health crisis reforms
It’s been six months since officers fatally shot Walter Wallace Jr. while responding to a 911 call.
Having a beer with Dick Allen, the late, great Phillies slugger who belongs in the Hall of Fame
Despite everything he went through in Philadelphia, he still showed love for the fans.
Who’s eligible for a COVID vaccine in Philly, and why it’s different from the rest of Pa.
The city has a direct relationship with the CDC because it has a history of good immunization programs.
How Philly and Pennsylvania grew to dominate the candy industry
When the Whitman Sampler was created in Philadelphia in 1842, it was the first of its kind.