Sixers Season Outlook: How it Could all go Wrong
A mystery to unfold...
The 2019–2020 76ers season has commenced with a beat down of the Boston Celtics 107–93. If expectations before the season were not through the roof, they certainly are now. The Sixers have the star power, most accessible path to the finals, and, believe it or not, the experience to be the last team standing. Hold the parade, however, because, from the perspective of a “Negadelphian,” here is why the season could come crashing down.
The Lackluster Bench
To have the talent, the Sixers have on their frontline, three former and current all-stars, and one potential all-star in Tobias Harris; they had to give something up. Elton Brand merely choose the bench. Consisting of Matisse Thybulle, Mike Scott, James Ennis, and more, the bench is full of specialists. However, that’s a problem for Brett Brown, because most of these players are defensive monsters who can drill a three but are far from elite shooters. On the other hand, they have two players who can take their defender off the dribble, Furkan Korkmaz and Trey Burke; nevertheless, they are wet paper bags on defense. Ultimately, the 76ers calling card for this season is their defense, and therefore Korkmaz and Burke will see limited action.
Speaking of Trey Burke, the backup point guard options are limited. Besides Ben, the sole point guards on the roster are Trey Burke and Raul Neto. Raul Neto is the prototype backup for Ben: his defense and above-average three-point shooting, 37.7%, should appeal to Coach Brown. Not supringsly, Brett Brown opted to use J-Rich as the point for the second unit against the Celtics, probably because Josh does everything that Raul does but better. He’s a better defender, comparable in terms of shooting, and draws fouls. The elephant in the room is that the Sixers need to add a solid, three and D athlete, someone who can take an opponent off the dribble, and a player who initiates contact. One role-player takes this team from a finals contender to a champion.
Spacing
When the Sixers decided to move on from JJ Redick, they made an offense to defense calculation. Almost every night, the oppositions’ guards were lighting this team-up. JJ takes the majority of the blame in that regard. Nevertheless, there will be times where Sixers’ fans would donate a limb to get JJ back. Simply, Josh Richardson and Matisse Thybulle will never replace the threat of Redick getting hot.
More importantly, the addition of Al Horford, although beneficial, has its shortcomings. Even though he’s a shooting big man, he averaged three attempts from downtown as Celtic and was solely effective at the top of keys. Coupled with the fact that he is never going to be the fastest player off the ball, his fit with Ben and Joel, offensively, is questionable. For this team to have a parade on Broad street, Brett Brown will have to redesign the offense around this dilemma.
Continuity
Anyone that has played a team sport understands continuity is critical for success. If two players are not on the same page, the entire team could crumble. The Sixers lack that remarkable continuity. Three significant contributors have left this team: TJ Mcconnell, Jimmy Butler, and JJ Redick. That alone should trigger the alarm, but their replacements have an awkward fit. The Sixers went big with Al Horford as their starting power forward, which leaves them vulnerable to switches. They also added Josh Richardson, who is more of a traditional shooting guard. Nonetheless, he is not the shooter JJ ever was.
Furthermore, the lack of continuity spills into the coaching staff. The departures of Billy Lange and Monty Williams and the additions of Ime Udoka and Joseph Blair is the definition of a shake-up. Although Billy Lang and Monty Williams made questionable decisions on how to run the team, especially defensively, sometimes leaving JJ on an island against LeBron James, their experience in this organization will be missed.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the 76ers are a force to be reconded with, despite all the glaring flaws. Mostly, Elton Brand has done an admirable job, replacing last year’s contributors to form arguably an improved team. Moreover, the team has the right priorities; defense is always more important than offense. Nevertheless, the Sixers need to fix their problems if they are going to hoist the trophy this season.
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Featured photo from Michael Tipton