Taking his 3-point shot, Joe gives Rivers a ‘luxury’
PHILADELPHIA » Isaiah Joe entered the NBA looking for two things. It took him fewer than 20 games to find both.
As a second-round draft choice, the rookie was hoping for an opportunity. And as a noted shooter at the University of Arkansas, he was hopeful of a green light from his coach.
As it happened due to virus protocols and injuries, the 6-4 shooting guard went rapidly from what could have been a ride on the G-League shuffle to a real, early-season look from Doc Rivers.
Joe made it matter. Playing extended minutes for five games prior to Wednesday’s visit from the Boston Celtics, Joe shot 16-for31, including 14-for-28 from deep. While it didn’t necessarily force Rivers to immediately rearrange his rotation, it did catch his attention.
“He can come off the bench and make shots,” Rivers said. “And you know what, he showed himself to be a pretty solid defender which will help moving forward.”
While the Sixers remained less than whole Wednesday, as Seth Curry continued to work himself back into shape after a coronavirus battle, they were closer to being fully staffed.
Furkan Korkmaz, who missed 11 games with a left abductor strain, is cleared to play. And Shake Milton and Tobias Harris had returned after being idled for contact tracing.
Streak-shooting veteran Mike Scott was scratched due to a sore knee, freeing some minutes. Rivers, though, was not certain how many would go to Joe.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “He’s a guy who can make shots. But so can Shake. So can Furkan. So can Danny Green. So can Seth Curry. So he’s just in a line of guys that we have. It’s a great luxury.”
That line thinned when the Sixers waived Dakota Mathias, a reputed shooter who also had recent opportunities yet did not perform as well as Joe.
If there was any reason for Joe to have seen an opening to semi-regular minutes it was that Korkmaz, who struggled famously last postseason, was shooting only 37.3 percent from the arc before his injury.
Korkmaz is bigger, more experienced and has had a few impressive NBA scoring nights. But Joe has narrowed that gap.
“What we focus on most is winning games,” Joe said after a morning practice Wednesday. “Whether that means me or him get more playing time, we don’t dicker about that. We let Coach make those decisions. We do what we can in practice and when it comes to game time, we do whatever we can do the best to help win the game.”
Joe’s extended look did not begin strongly, as he shot
4-for-18 in his first real look during a loss to Denver.
“I just told myself to stay calm and to stay settled,” he said. “At the end of the day, basketball is basketball. I didn’t make a ton of shots that night, but I’m a shooter. I’m going to shoot the next one like it is going in and just stay confident. I just let the game come to me.”
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Rivers last coached in Los Angeles and has enjoyed a friendship with new vice president Kamala Harris.
To some extent, that may necessarily have changed, as of Wednesday.
“I’ve got a feeling my texts won’t go through anymore,” Rivers said, smiling, yet understanding. “They changed phones today. I think that’s the way they do it. So it will be interesting.”
Rivers did acknowledge that he has had recent chats with the former California senator in advance of the inauguration.
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Due to health and safety obligations, the Celtics played without accomplished Sixerstormentor Jayson Tatum.
“He worked out (Tuesday), real briefly,” coach Brad Stevens reported. “He did some work in Boston today. He feels great. He is out of the protocol, but now he has to ramp up the activity.”
After a successful procedure to ease pain in his knee, Kemba Walker missed the Celtics’ first 11 games. He returned to Sunday’s loss to the Knicks, on a 20-minute restriction.
Walker was available Wednesday, though Stevens does not expect that limit to be soon lifted.
“I’m guessing he will get more and more angry with me the longer we go with the restrictions,” said Stevens. “The other day, I think he was just happy to be out there. He wasn’t happy with the results of the game. None of us were.”
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NOTES » Vincent Poirier remained unavailable under health protocols … The Sixers, who had lost four of six, had a chance to practice after having a game postponed Sunday in Oklahoma City. Joe: “We cleaned up a lot of our offensive tendencies and our defensive tendencies. We ran through a lot of our plays just so we could polish it up and get smoother when it comes to game time.” … The Sixers will entertain the Celtics again Friday night at 7:30, before a two-game series in Detroit Saturday and Monday. They return to face the champion Lakers Wednesday.