Brett Brown 'Very Quietly Confident' About 76ers Ahead of NBA Restart

Despite some sluggish moments throughout the season, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown likes where his team is at heading into the NBA restart. 

Addressing reporters on Saturday, Brown said he is "very quietly confident" about the Sixers right now. 

Brown added that he's seen a combination of "maniacal competitiveness," as well as a "a togetherness and team spirit" since the team began practicing in Orlando last week. 

Echoing his head coach's sentiments, Josh Richardson told reporters that Philadelphia's practice on Friday "got a little chippy" but said it was proof of their competitive spirit.

When the 2019-20 season began, expectations were high for the 76ers. The signing of Al Horford as a free agent gave them four starters who stood at least 6'9". 

Things didn't always coalesce, particularly on offense. They ranked 17th in offensive rating and 21st in points per game when the season was suspended on March 11. Their outlook seemed especially bleak in February when Ben Simmons was diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back and no return timetable. 

Simmons was deemed 100 percent healthy by Brown earlier this month and figures to play a significant role for the team when the season resumes. 

Since resuming practice in Orlando, Brown has used Simmons at power forward and Shake Milton as the point guard.

The Sixers will head into the restart as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 39-26 record. Their first game back will be against the Indiana Pacers on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. ET.