The Sixer Sense
Fansided

The Philadelphia 76ers Subtle Small Ball Success

By Bret Stuter

Feb 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown talks with guard T.J. McConnell (12) during a break in the action against the Orlando Magic in the first half at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown talks with guard T.J. McConnell (12) during a break in the action against the Orlando Magic in the first half at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) moves the ball up court during the third quarter of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers beat the Hornets 89-81. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) moves the ball up court during the third quarter of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers beat the Hornets 89-81. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

Sixers Small Talk

Josh Wilson examined that small ball revolution in terms of the Sixers, and the fact that the team has gone counter to the craze by bringing in big men.  Has the team resisted the herd mentality to their benefit, or to their demise?  As Josh says in his article “buckets will never be outdated”.  As long as a team can space the floor, the post is owned by the tallest sky scraper who can score down low.

Well, the fact is that we’ve seen some of the best play from the Sixers this season when they have gone small, despite the bigs.  When one of the bigs was injured, or suspended, the team learned to make do, sometimes by going small ball.  We saw the team field a small roster of McConnell, Stauskas, Grant, Covington, and Okafor before Ish Smith arrived on the team.  But even that roster had Jahlil Okafor at the post.  Have they ever played a roster without either Noel or Okafor recently?

And of course, the small ball lineup that finds some success now feeds the appetite for more small ball.

And to go small means to emphasize the pace. Of course, with a team having limited success, and the small ball version of the team generating some of that, you will begin to see the appearance of the logical questions…

And there it is, the question that shakes the #TrustTheProcess to its very core. Is this team on the road to success, only to be traveling the wrong way? Is the team holding a hand of diamonds with no clubs, only to find clubs are trump? Well that’s tough to believe. One of the most astute persons in terms of true value is the Sixers president and general manager Sam Hinkie. In his track record, he sells high and buys low. As we found from the 2014-2015 chapter, the team has since traded two of the players who made up that year’s small ball lineup. In the meantime, the team drafted Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes – two big guys. But are the Sixers sinking their future into the hands of big men, or simply buying low, developing big men, and then giving the team a roster of little guys?

Next: Moment of Truth