CAMDEN, N.J. - Alex Poythress had to be asked to move closer to the microphone stand Friday. Even after obliging, he was soft-spoken. With the low volume comes a low profile.
Markelle Fultz might grab most Sixers headlines right now, and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot has been pegged as the leader because of his second-year status, but Poythress has been here before, too. This upcoming summer league circuit could be more important for him than for those fresh out of college. A six-game stint in Philadelphia to end last season gave him a loose grip on a roster spot. Now he must firmly grasp it to stick around.
"I got a good relationship with the coaches, I'm familiar with everybody around here now," Poythress said after the Sixers' summer league minicamp at the team's training complex Friday. "Building those relationships has helped."
After the Sixers' final game of the year, which happened to be Poythress' best with 18 points, the 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward went home for a few weeks. But he was quick to return to the team's complex and work with the coaches to show how much he wants to be here.
Poythress came aboard after the NBA granted the injury-plagued Sixers a hardship exception in April, meaning they could bring on an extra player past the usual 15. His sample size here was small - averages of 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26.2 minutes - but clearly promising enough for the Sixers to want to see more. Billy Lange, Sixers assistant coach and director of player development, touted Poythress' "eye-popping" athleticism Friday.
"He'll jump up out of nowhere and tip-dunk an offensive rebound, he'll take off down the floor and chase someone down and block a shot," Lange said. "It's just about getting him to have a motor. A lot of that … comes with confidence, understanding that he can do it at this level"
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Those moments are not exceptions; Poythress' arrival, while one of circumstance, was founded in merit. He slayed in 45 G-League starts last season, averaging 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game, shooting 57 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc, for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants en route to an all-star game selection.
But with six NBA games under his belt, Poythress is hardly a vet. Yet he will play that role in July. He will need to be vocal, something that he admitted is a challenge.
"I've been here, I know the system. Me, Timmy (Luwawu-Cabarrot), we just need to step up and lead them," Poythress said. "Just let everybody know that we've been through a couple games, we know the system, we know everybody. So that's one thing I'm trying to take into summer league."
Leadership was learned in college, Poythress said. After entering John Calipari's one-and-done factory at Kentucky as the ESPN 100's 12th-ranked recruit in 2012, Poythress lasted four years in Lexington. An ACL tear shortened his junior season to eight games. He was never a star, but he had experience each new batch of Wildcat freshmen did not.
Now he must bring that knowledge with him when this summer roster travels west. His Sixers history, while still shallow, is deeper than some he'll share the court with. And just as his abrupt arrival in Philly taught him to be, he's primed for anything.
"You're always ready," Poythress said, "and then you don't have to get ready."
