(Associated Press)

The last two days at practice, Spencer Hawes ran with the first team. Last year, that wasn't uncommon, with Hawes being a starter for the Sixers.

Saturday, against visiting New York, Hawes earned his first start of the season – and it was deserved. Nick Young also gets the nod, in place of injured Jason Richardson.

In his last 10 games, Hawes had averaged 11.8 points on 51.5-percent shooting, with 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocked shots in 28 minutes. Compare those numbers against those of starting center Lavoy Allen, who had amassed 6.3 points on 48.4-percent shooting, with 5.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.9 blocks in 21 minutes per game.

They're not too far apart, but they're not identical either. Hawes is giving the Sixers more in his minutes than Allen has, which justified the move. Perhaps in a big to downplay his performance of late, Hawes said it's because his teammates are so familiar with what he does best.

“They know the way I like to play,” Hawes said after Friday's practice. “I like passing as much as anything else and being a guy that gets other guys going on the offensive end. At the defensive end, (I like) trying to be an anchor that talks, keeping everybody on the same page. That's where I'm efficient and trying to make the game easier for everybody.”

Then, Hawes said something rather telling: “Over 82 games,” he said, “it's hard to ride five guys.”

Sixers coach Doug Collins intimated earlier this week that adding Hawes to the starting five wasn't the most-sound idea, because that would leave the cupboard bare in terms of scoring options he could bring off the bench.

So much for that theory.