Sixers Enjoyed Dewayne Dedmon’s Debut vs. Wizards

It took a while for Dewayne Dedmon to make his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Following a trade from the Miami Heat to the San Antonio Spurs, which led to the veteran getting waived, Dedmon linked with the Philadelphia 76ers, filling up their final roster spot.

When Dedmon suited up for the Sixers for the first time, the team was headed into the All-Star break. A matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers came and went, with Dedmon staying on the bench.

In his first practice with the Sixers following the break, Dedmon suffered a hip injury. That led to the veteran missing a handful of games.

Dedmon went inactive for the Sixers’ first five games back from the break. While he suited up against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 4 and beyond, the veteran big man remained on the bench for four-straight games as the Sixers continued utilizing Paul Reed behind Joel Embiid.

Going into Sunday night’s game against the Washington Wizards, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made it clear that Dedmon would get an opportunity to play at some point during the final stretch of the season, but it was unclear when that time would come.

“We just want him to get healthy. We think he's pretty healthy right now, but we're in a big stretch,” Rivers explained. “We definitely are gonna play him at some point because we want him on the floor to see what he can do for us.”

Ironically, Dedmon’s debut would come just a couple of hours after Rivers’ pregame press conference. While the Sixers stuck with their original game plan of giving Reed the backup minutes behind Embiid, Dedmon collected some late garbage time minutes as the Sixers were on their way to a blowout victory.

“I liked him,” Rivers said after the game, discussing Dedmon’s performance. “He knows how to play, and you can see that. That little roll game, he seals guys, great passes, talks out on the floor. He’s just smart. He’s a veteran. Good hands, so it was good.”

Dedmon checked into the matchup late in the fourth quarter. He played for roughly five minutes. During that time, Dedmon made both of his shots from the field for four points, with his first make as a Sixer getting a humorous reaction from some of the guys in the locker room.