MIAMI — Carl Landry’s locker was a destination for postgame comments after he set a new season high with 18 points, along with seven rebounds on Sunday against the Heat.
The ninth-year veteran, though, didn’t have a groundbreaking explanation for his solid performance. In fact, it was quite simple.
“Just got the minutes, that’s all,” Landry said after the Sixers' 103-98 loss (see game story). "I don’t think I did anything much different than I’ve been doing the whole season. So just got all little bit more playing time and the numbers just look different.”
Landry has averaged 11.5 minutes in 20 games this season, primarily coming off the bench with sporadic DNPs based on minute availability. But with Jahlil Okafor (shin) and Nerlens Noel (knee) back in Philadelphia (see story), Landry got the start at center for the second straight game. He shot 8 for 16 from the field and nabbed five offensive rebounds in just over 26 minutes.
“I can rave about Carl all day and night,” Ish Smith said. “Carl was huge. Pick-and-rolls with him are so easy. … He knows how to move the ball, he’s tough inside, he puts fouls on the other team. Carl was great tonight.”
Brett Brown is able to rely on Landry in the absence of the bigs. The no-frills veteran got the job done with hard-nosed basketball.
“There’s a physical side of his play that’s so different than anybody, with the exception of maybe Elton [Brand] on the team,” Brown said. “He has a low center of gravity. He can bang with Amar’e [Stoudemire] and he can bang with [Hassan] Whiteside. Then he’s been able to finish plays at the rim."
NBA
Landry entered the league as a rookie on the Rockets. He learned from Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo. He considers himself to be of an earlier generation of players, when bigs played close to the basket, compared to the present day game of power forwards and centers stretching the floor for long-range shots.
“I’m from the old school,” he said. “That’s just how it started. The game has changed over the last 10 years since I’ve been playing.”
Landry’s younger teammates notice how Landry still plays the style of ball from when he entered the league.
“He’s back in the era where guys are big, pack the paint, post up players,” Robert Covington said. “He brought that presence tonight and that’s what really helped us because it opened up so much.”
On a young NBA team, Landry's veteran, fundamental style has been standing out.
"You can see why he’s been in the league for as long as he has been," Brown said.