Apr 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard
Michael Carter-Williams(5) dribbles past Philadelphia 76ers guard
Ish Smith(5) at center court during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Bucks won 107-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Musical Chairs
As we evaluate talent for fit this upcoming season, we just don’t know, and CAN’T know, because the roster is new and evolving. Nerlens Noel, a promising center from a year ago, is now looking to flip between center and power forward, and has spent the summer working on shots from the four. Tony Wroten showed some offensive spark, but he crashed low for shots that showed his vulnerability for turnovers, and drew many fouls but he only converter 2/3 foul shots. This year, Wroten will be called upon to take the perimeter shot, feed the ball low or to an open three. Small forward Jerami Grant showed signs of promise, and could likely see a significant increase in minutes over the 21.3 minutes from last season. But as the minutes increase, will production go up as well?
Up and down the Sixers roster the team faces questions and uncertainties. When Brett Brown begins to work with the team this season, he faces not only the challenge of mentoring and sharing his basketball knowledge with a cast of youthful players, but he must assemble the best team from each chip. In short, Brett Brown is building a mosaic team.
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The challenge with the mosaic team is simply that it looks better than it wears. Each player, in essence, becomes that porcelain chip that is fitted among the group of other porcelain chips. The resulting image of so many brightly colored pieces can be quite striking to the eye, and some mosaics are true art in their own right. But if you have even owned a mosaic – whether the surface of a coffee table to a section of the shower tile – you know that the mosaic requires special care. Because so many pieces are fitted together ‘just so”, it can be more fragile, more subject to break.
Next: As A Team