GETTING IN GAME SHAPE:

Basketball is an interesting activity, in that there’s no real way to get into game shape other than hitting the court. No matter how many miles you run or how many pedals you spin, without actually running up and down the court, you’re not getting the full experience. That’s just what the Sixers did in their first night session of training camp with a series of scrimmages.

“It’s always tough in a first scrimmage setting, because your conditioning is just not there,” said Head Coach Maurice Cheeks.

For Shavlik Randolph, who missed the final 68 games of last season due to injury, Thursday night’s session had to be particularly draining. After countless months of rehab, Randolph was back in action, banging down low and grabbing rebounds.

“Shav looked good,” said Cheeks, “but once he gets his conditioning back, he’ll look even better.”

MORE IMPROVEMENT:

Around this time last year, Lou Williams was entering his second NBA season, having appeared in just 30 games as a rookie. The second-half of last season, Williams started to come into his own, scoring in double-figures seven times over the final 19 games.

With more in-game experience and confidence to draw from, Williams was able to better prepare himself for training camp this season.

“I would say this is my easiest year out of the three,” said Williams.

“A lot of the things that you’re kind of of nervous about being a rookie and a sophomore in this league become second nature,," Williams said. "I learned when you first come into the league, you go one speed… you go full blast, so I’ve learned to pace myself and just go with the flow of the game.”

LEADING BY EXAMPLE:

Hard to believe, but Andre Iguodala is approaching his fourth NBA season and is poised to make the jump from rising star to All-Star. In addition to on-court expectations, Iguodala is well aware of the impact he has on things which don’t appear on a stat sheet.

“I can’t relax at all because I have guys watching me play and feeding off me,” Iguodala said of his leadership role on the team.

With all eyes on him to start the season, Iguodala knows he won’t be able to catch teams by surprise and must continue to improve his game.

“I’m working on simplifying my game, not working as hard to get open shots," Iguodala said. "Last year I was exerting a lot of energy on the offensive end and I didn’t have a lot on the defensive end so I’m trying to be more efficient on both ends.”

Iguodala was excited to scrimmage with his new teammates Thursday night and walked away with some good first impressions. Here are his thoughts on a few of them:

Herbert Hill: “He’s really good… I didn’t realize how good he was until he was on my team. I’m staying on his butt to keep it up.”

Reggie Evans: “Watching the bruiser beat them dudes (the younger Sixers) up is funny and it helps them get tougher.”

Louis Amundson: “He brings a lot of energy and plays at a fast pace. Once he learns how to mix it up and know when to slow down and when to speed up, he’s going to be a huge help to us.”

Jason Smith: “He’s coming along pretty good and does a good job finding his own shot. We have some young guys who have different things they’re good at, so if we mix it together we’ll come out with something nice.”

TOUGH HILL TO CLIMB:

For most late second-round picks, finding their way onto an NBA roster is a difficult task but if you listen to supporters like Andre Iguodala, Herbert Hill may be well on his way to doing just that.

“I just tried to play as hard as I can and just listen to the veterans, especially Reggie Evans,” Hill said. "He’s a rebounding machine and I try to follow his lead and pick up my intensity to match his.”

Named the Big East Conference’s Most Improved Player last season, Hill is enjoying his first NBA training camp.

“It’s more compact," Hill explained. "In college, you get back to school and have a couple months before your first exhibition game.

"I like this better because you have the games coming faster. There’s so much thrown at you, so you have to learn on the fly.”