PHILADELPHIA– Kennedy Chandler's unrelenting ball pressure against Orlando Magic guards on Friday night looked exhausting. Chandler, an Exhibit 10 signee forced into a prominent preseason role for the Sixers due to injuries, has played much more than anyone would have anticipated and done so at a massive level of intensity. But given what he has been tasked with in practice, Chandler has had no issues in games.
"It starts with practice, picking up [Tyrese] Maxey full-court. Like, I'm fast, but – it's Maxey," Chandler said on Friday night. "It starts with practice. I've been picking him up full court each and every single day, and he's helping me be better on that end, because I know if I can stay in front of him I can stay in front of anybody else on an NBA court."
It has been an extremely productive preseason so far for Chandler, a 23-year-old former second-round pick whose NBA career has been limited to 36 appearances in the 2022-23 season. Chandler, likely ticketed for a key role with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League to begin 2025-26, spoke at length about his desire to get back into the league after the Sixers' third preseason game of 2025, a home loss to the Orlando Magic.
"I felt like I had an opportunity over here," Chandler said. "...Just blessed to be here. Blessed for the opportunity to play in the preseason. I haven't played in the preseason since my rookie year, so it's been two years since I've played in an environment like this with a crowd like this. I'm just blessed to be here, and thankful to Philly for giving me an opportunity to showcase my talent, to be in this organization that wanted me."
Chandler, who scored 16 points to go with five assists and four steals on Friday, knows the odds are stacked against him. He has been out of the league for years after a very short stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Sixers listed Chandler at 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds before the start of training camp. It is hard to be more of an underdog. Chandler has embraced it and tried to lean on a new teammate he has always looked up to: Kyle Lowry, a 6-foot guard entering his 20th NBA season.
Lowry has lots of answers, so Chandler has peppered him with questions.
"Never thought I'd be teammates with him, a veteran guy like him being in the league for a very long time," Chandler said. "A small guard like me, I want to be in the same position he is, playing in the NBA for a very long time. Anything I can ask him, I'll do every single time."
Chandler said Lowry's most helpful pieces of advice have pertained to defending in the post without fouling and picking the right spots to get downhill out of pick-and-roll versus times to get to a floater.
"I learn something new from him," Chandler said, "every day."
Chandler is doing something right, because after the Sixers' practice on Thursday head coach Nick Nurse highlighted his basketball acumen.
"He's got a pretty good feel for running and organizing the team," Nurse said. "I've been impressed with his knowledge of the game and the way he's picked things up and the way he's kind of transferred that to keeping the team fairly organized.
Chandler knows the challenges that come with thriving in the NBA at his size. Asked what he has learned since his rookie season about what he will need to provide to accomplish that, Chandler mentioned a point guard of Sixers past.
"T.J. McConnell," Chandler said. "I've been watching what he does, picking up full court, being a pest on the defensive end... That's the main thing I would take from my rookie year to now, is really learning what I've got to do to stay on the court and stay in the league as a smaller guard."
Because he was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, it is clear that Chandler will be waived by the Sixers before the regular season begins. But Chandler could be a prominent part of the Blue Coats, and if a two-way roster spot opens up in Philadelphia (or elsewhere), he will be eligible to fill it. Chandler wholeheartedly believes he has what it takes to stick in the NBA, and turning a preseason chance into strong momentum in the G League could be a turning point in his career.
For Chandler, a moment like Friday night was years in the making.
"Man, I was just waiting. I was just waiting on calls, just waiting for something to happen," Chandler said. "It just happened."
MORE: More observations from Thursday's game, including Tyrese Maxey's offense
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