Philadelphia 76ers: Josh Richardson is Loving his Team's Intensity in Orlando

Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers arrived in Orlando, shooting guard Josh Richardson has noticed his team has an intensity in practice, which he loves.

The NBA's COVID-19 suspension offered the Philadelphia 76ers an in-season offseason. Before the team arrived in Orlando less than two weeks ago, players had to fend for themselves in terms of working out and staying in shape. In order to keep his body right for the NBA's resumption, Sixers guard Josh Richardson flew down to his first NBA home in Florida to work out in a private gym.

But it wasn't until nearly two weeks ago when the Sixers could finally get back out onto the court as a team once again. Many would think Brett Brown was going to ease his guys back into the swing of things -- but Brown took a different approach. With just a few weeks worth of training camp available, Brown knew he needed to get his guys into basketball shape rather quickly, as playoffs are around the corner.

Therefore, Brown went from zero to a hundred right away, which caused Sixers players to ramp up the intensity in practice. As a high-energy player himself, Josh Richardson admits that practices have gotten quite competitive to the point where players might lose their cool, but Richardson sees nothing wrong with it. In fact, he's excited about it.

"It's been high competition every day," Richardson said following practice this past weekend. "A few practices got a little chippy -- but I like it. I like it when practices get like that because it shows people care, it shows that people are competing."

While practices have gotten "chippy" for the Sixers, Richardson noted it hasn't caused the team chemistry to take a hit. "At the end of the day, we're all brothers," the veteran guard stated. "When we walk off of the court, we're back to being friends like we were before." As every member on the Sixers has the same goal of wanting to win a championship, the increased competitiveness is a positive sign for the Sixers, who have an opportunity to turn a disappointing 2020 campaign around down in Orlando.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_