Following a disappointing 2022 playoff run, the Philadelphia 76ers understood the type of players they had to target in the offseason.
Joel Embiid claimed he wanted a PJ Tucker-type player, so Daryl Morey managed to sign exactly what the big man ordered. But it didn’t stop with Tucker.
Shortly after the Sixers landed Tucker through free agency, they signed the veteran wing Danuel House. While House doesn’t have the championship accolade Tucker possesses, he comes with all the other qualities the 76ers have been searching for over the years.
And House understands exactly what his role is coming off Philadelphia’s bench.
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“My role is just to be energy,” he said. “Be the guy to make stuff happen. Make plays happen, make a shot, knock down a shot, get a rebound, pass the ball, set the play up, run the play, set the screen, whatever the team needs pretty much. I’m just here to give away myself. Like I said earlier, I’m not really worried about accolades. As long as we win, I feel like that’s my biggest accolade.”
Last week, PJ Tucker stressed the idea of sacrifice to his teammates. He made it clear that personal accolades shouldn’t mean anything if the team wants to win at the highest level. Young Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has bought into his veteran’s message, as did the veteran guard De’Anthony Melton.
House is just the latest member of the Sixers to confirm he has the same mindset as his selfless veteran teammates.
As long as the Sixers can sustain this mindset throughout the year, they should be in much better shape to make a run beyond the regular season this time around, as they’ve put together a more talented and veteran-savvy supporting cast around its stars.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.