Searching for Cohesion, the 76ers Are Betting on Size, Talent to Win
Why the NBA’s most unsettling team believe their newfound chemistry will solve their very real issues by the playoffs
LAST SEASON, THE Sixers formed one of the NBA’s most dynamic teams, yet their season was defined by their flashes of dominance as much it was defined by internal turmoil, drama, and incoherence. It’s easy to forget now, with so many players in new jerseys on a year-to-year basis, but with Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid, the Sixers looked the part of a modern “super-team,” with shooting, playmaking, shot-creation, defense, and a dominant center in the middle.
In the playoffs, this would mostly hold, as Philly’s starting lineup all had individual moments of greatness en route to dominating the Nets in the first round and pushing the Raptors to the brink of elimination.
But for every streak of consecutive, extremely difficult threes by Redick or a 4th quarter flurry of isolation baskets from Butler, there were underlying issues with the team that always threatened to undermine the Sixers’ ultimate goals.
Some of this tension was natural, as Philadelphia revamped their team not once, but twice during the season, sending valuable role players to Minnesota in exchange for Butler and sending a trove of assets for Harris at the trade deadline. Their team was so limited that General Manager Elton Brand had to demand the Clippers send center Boban Marjanović because he needed a backup center.
Also, with over half of the players on the roster becoming unrestricted free agents over the summer, Philadelphia was needing its talent to overcome its opponents and its natural deficiency.
But now, with a revamped, hand-selected roster, Philadelphia is hoping its fortunes will change — particularly in May and June, where the Sixers have yet to live up to their potential.
WATCHING THE SIXERS offense can be painful at times, as they can resemble five players who had are scrimmaging together for the first time and not the connected team they are supposed to be.
It hasn’t helped that their starting lineup — once again among the most dominant in the NBA — hasn’t played many minutes together as the Sixers have to balance nursing players with nagging injuries, resting Horford due to his age, and managing the load of Embiid to keep him fresh for the postseason.
The Sixers knew what they were doing when they let Butler walk by not offering him a five-year contract on June 30, effectively choosing the younger, more energetic Josh Richardson and the older, veteran guile of Al Horford over Butler.
The benefits of acquiring Horford and Richardson over keeping Butler — Richardson’s willingness to launch spot-up threes and chase opposing star guards relentlessly, as well as Horford’s versatile offensive and defensive abilities — have not necessarily outweighed the negatives, as Philly is 17th in points per game this season.
Horford, on a fresh $97 million contract, is putting together another solid season, with his averages being similar to his 3 seasons in Boston. As many expected, however, his move to power forward has made him less effective from three, as faster, more athletic players are closing out on his shots.
Philadelphia’s shooting as a whole — usually erratic, at times awful — is so necessary due to how many players need space in the paint. To begin a nationally televised game against the Denver Nuggets, all members of the starting lineup except Richardson had at least one post-up in the paint.
Yet, in coach Brett Brown’s regular rotation, only Mike Scott, rookie Matisse Thybulle, James Ennis III, and the surprising Furkan Korkmaz are shooting above the league average from three — and more importantly, none of Philly’s vaunted starting lineup shoot above 35% from three on more than one attempt per game (Simmons is at 40% on a laughable 0.2 attempts per game).
Early in the season, Brown spoke about his need to “grow a bomber,” referencing the three-point shooting vacancy left by Redick’s departure in free agency. The player he wants to become a three-point specialist is Korkmaz, who has had moments of excellence, but his defensive struggles paired with his somewhat slow-release has limited his minutes on the floor.
Richardson and Harris have both launched threes at a necessary rate, but Richardson has never been extremely above average at shooting threes — even of the catch-and-shoot variety — and Harris’ three-point shooting has surprisingly ditched him since being traded from L.A.
Teams are relying on a 2–3 zone more than ever against the Sixers, to mixed results. Miami made a huge statement against Philadelphia with a victory on the road with their zone defense not long ago, though they conceded multiple clean looks from three-point range. The Sixers have had success combating the zone by putting skilled playmakers like Simmons and Embiid in the middle of the zone — though this only works if Harris, Horford, and Richardson are making their threes.
Not everything about the Sixers’ season has been negative, however.
When Embiid has put his head down and been dominant for 48 minutes, the Sixers offensive woes solve themselves, as almost every team sends double teams at Embiid — opening up catch and shoot threes, the one type of three-pointer that the Sixers can covert at an above-average rate.
Embiid, for his part, has recovered from a slow start and is averaging 23.3 points and 12.5 rebounds, though it is clear he is still adjusting to worsened floor spacing this season.
Harris is having the best season of his career so far, being physical on defense and assertive on offense — and his diverse offensive skillset has lessened the impact of Butler’s departure. The Sixers are hoping, that as Harris’ comfort level within the offense improves, his three-point shooting will progress to the mean.
Simmons is as divisive as ever, fully embracing the playmaker role at the point guard position — yet shooting less than ever. The issue with Simmons’ game is simple: when he isn’t aggressive, he is worse as a playmaker, which causes the botched floor spacing that has plagued Philly. Simmons slightly increased his scoring last season despite being on a star-studded team, so it is unclear why he is suddenly extremely passive — though it may point back to Philadelphia’s floor spacing, once again.
And while Horford isn’t an above-average shooter at power forward, when he shifts to center when Embiid is resting or missing games, he suddenly regains the advantages of speed and shooting over other centers that have prolonged his career. Brown has made it a point of emphasis to keep Simmons and Horford together when Embiid isn’t on the court, a strategy that has worked well as Simmons and Horford mesh well together.
The Simmons/Horford tandem, paired with three-floor spacers — preferably Ennis III, Scott, and Thybulle — have been a net positive, something that was an issue last season, when the Sixers would lose leads when Embiid sat on the bench. Those lineups have unlocked both Simmons and Horford, who normally struggle due to cramped floor spacing with the starting lineup.
The most interesting aspect of the Sixers is their talent; despite their struggles offensively, they have the third-most wins in the league, and in the playoffs, teams will be forced to cope with the reality that Richardson, an athletic 6'6" guard averaging nearly 15 points per game, is the smallest and worst offensive player in the Sixers’ starting five.
Ultimately, the Sixers believe their size and talent, more so than a cohesive fit, will prove to be key in the playoffs.
Off the court, a new, revolutionary sense of connectivity and unity has the Sixers feeling optimistic they can survive their offensive struggles until the playoffs, when games slow down and the 76ers can rely on their stars to carry them offensively.
THIS SEASON, THERE is a new energy surrounding the Sixers, a joyfulness and unity that was lacking throughout most of last season.
While the Sixers were dominant on the court for the greater part of last regular season and playoffs, they also dominated the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.
First, there was the Markelle Fultz saga, which loomed over the team. This drama was followed by the turmoil caused by the entry of Butler, who aggressively went after Brett Brown for his passive use in the offense — a huge point of contention between the two, as Butler’s preference to isolate and run pick and rolls contradicted Brown’s preferred system of ball movement and cutting. And Embiid, who grew close to Butler throughout the season, was also frustrated by his lack of touches at times.
When trading for Harris and Marjanović, the locker room became split. Harris and Simmons seemed to bond closely, while the aforementioned Embiid and Butler were close to Mike Scott, who was also acquired in the Harris trade. And following the trade deadline, there was an unspoken tension surrounding the Sixers, a locker room waiting to fall apart, an internal clash ready to spill over.
To their credit, the Sixers managed to mitigate their issues well enough to be within one possession of the Conference Finals, but it was clear afterward that this wasn’t a team ready to regroup for a title. No, this was a group of individuals who knew they were ready to move on.
So when the Sixers resigned Harris to a whopping five-year, $180 million deal and signed Horford to a 4-year, $97 million contract, the Sixers weren’t just investing in the on-court abilities of those two — they were investing in two people who would improve the camaraderie of the entire team.
Win or lose, these Sixers are feeling more like family than ever before. Now, they can be found having team dinners — usually planned by Harris and Horford — and spending time to bond.
This is in contrast to last season, where the team was happy to split after games, breaking into smaller inner-circles of teammates, rather than spending time all-together.
No longer are games the only important thing for the Sixers — now, the post-game meals and time spent watching games or film is just as important.
And the Sixers are putting a monumental emphasis and investment into their revamped unity and culture as a team, hoping that their connectivity will overcome their flaws. More privately, the team hopes that a culture of accountability will be born — and slowly but surely, conversations of Simmons improving his jump-shot and Embiid improving his conditioning will come.
Unsurprisingly, the Sixers team still boils down to their two young stars, and their choice to take down a more functional offensive unit in exchange for a more connected roster is just a choice — a choice that they believe will unlock Simmons and Embiid.
THOUGH THE FINAL score of the Sixers’ Christmas Day matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks only shows a 12-point victory, the Sixers were thoroughly dominant in their route of the Bucks. Leading by as much as 29, and hitting an NBA Christmas Day record of 21 three-pointers, everything went perfectly for Philadelphia.
The key to the victory? The tandem of Embiid and Simmons.
Embiid played at an MVP-level, putting up 31 points and 11 rebounds, while scoring 23 of his points before intermission, helping the Sixers have a 21 point lead by the half. Simmons was also terrific, posting 15 points, 14 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and two blocks.
Embiid was aggressive early and often, and while he did settle for quite a few jump-shots, that was to be expected against a formidable defense. With Milwaukee packing the paint, Embiid was able to make kick-out passes to shooters, leading to Richardson and Korkmaz having terrific looks from three. As mentioned earlier, this version of Embiid, the one that is like a cross of Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan, that makes everything work for the 76ers.
Similarly, Simmons, despite not having an explosive night in the scoring column, was extremely effective due to his aggressive mindset. Like Embiid, when Simmons plays downhill, he draws in defenders, and that is when he is best as a playmaker. Simmons wasn’t given a maximum contract to stand in the dunker’s spot watching Embiid post-ups and run hand-offs for Harris and Richardson. No, Simmons is the enigma of the Sixers, the x-factor of sorts who will determine if the Sixers are an NBA Finals team or a disappointment come May and June.
And with so much invested in Embiid and Simmons, the Sixers are praying that the former is the case.
By nature, the two young superstars are a mismatched fit, a partnership being forced by their talent, not their coherence on the court. From their personalities to their preferred plays on the court, nothing about Simmons and Embiid suggests they are a perfect fit — but they are so uniquely and singularly talented that they might just make their partnership work.
Also, while the Sixers are among the most mismatched teams in the league due to their extreme size, the one team they match up perfectly with happens to be their greatest rival: the Milwaukee Bucks.
Defensively, there is no better tandem to guard reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo than Embiid and Horford. Both have the size, foot speed, and guile to stay with Antetokounmpo, and with the two splitting minutes over the entire game, the Sixers have an answer for the “Greek Freak” for 48 minutes.
On the perimeter, Simmons and Richardson form arguably the top defensive backcourt in the league, with Simmons being able to stick with larger wings, like Khris Middleton, and Richardson being fast enough and long enough to bother athletic guards like Eric Bledsoe and Donte Divincenzo.
But the greatest advantage that the matchup with the Bucks offers the Sixers in on offense.
Though it was an aberration that the Sixers hit 21 threes on Wednesday, almost double their per-game average on the season, it wasn’t a coincidence that it came against the Bucks.
For years, coach Mike Budenholzer has built his defensive schemes on packing the paint, relying on his perimeter defenders to stunt at offensive players attacking the paint while also recovering to three-point shooters. It is a decidedly old-school tactic, yet one that has been effective due to the defensive talent Budenholzer has been afforded throughout his career.
But it gives up threes, and the Bucks have been among the worst three-point defenses because of this. When Budenholzer was still on the Hawks, it wasn’t a coincidence that the LeBron James’ Cavaliers hit a then NBA record 25 threes not once, but twice against the Hawks.
So with a team like Philadelphia that loves to post-up and drive at the rim, it’s unsurprising that Milwaukee was willing to help openly off the perimeter to help in the paint. Yet, the catch-and-shoot threes they gave up to the Sixers were the only type of three-point shot the Sixers have been decent at hitting all season, and it showed on Wednesday.
With such great size, the Bucks don’t match up well defensively either. Last season, Antetokounmpo guarded Simmons, dissuading him from attacking the rim and making him effectively a non-factor on offense. This season, Antetokounmpo has to guard Horford, and Khris Middleton has to guard the 6'9" Tobias Harris, so either Wesley Matthews or Eric Bledsoe have to guard Simmons, who has at least 5 inches on both.
This mismatch on defense allows Simmons to be aggressive attacking the rim, which unlocks his special playmaking abilities.
After the game, Brown acknowledged the growth he saw in his team, feeling proud of the strong defense they played, which lead to their breakout performance on offense. He added that “this team is designed for the playoffs,” while noting the team “has been a little bit erratic at times.”
Overall, he concluded, “the landing spot is exciting.”
And Embiid, the key to Philadelphia’s entire season, commented, “When I’m needed, I’m going to show up. But God willing, hopefully I’m healthy for the playoffs.”
Concluding his thoughts, he finished, “it’s going to be a different story.”
Thanks for reading and making 2019 such an amazing year. A huge project is coming out soon. Happy Holidays!
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