While Ben Simmons value to NBA teams is now under fire due to Louisianna State University’s absence from the NCAA tournament, his fit to the Philadelphia 76ers is as strong as ever. Why? He already pairs up perfectly with other arrival, Dario Saric.
Pace, Space, and Pass.
When you combine the coaching talents of Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown with the offensive ingenuity of assistant head coach Mike D’Antoni, the team will hear that mantra at virtually every intermission. It’s been credited to NBA coaches for some time – from the Sixers own Mike D’Antoni to the recent run of success enjoyed by the San Antonio Spurs to the current electrifying leave-em-in-the-dust flash of the Golden State Warriors. But without going into a basketball analytics symposium, what does it mean?
Pace refers to the ball movement, both up and down the court as well as the movement of the ball from one player to another. It is the equivalent to the “blur” or “hurry up” offense in the National Football League, a basketball team that does not pause, but rather continues to pass and move the ball quickly until the defense is out of position. From the moment the team’s offense takes possession of the ball, pace is the quality of how long does it take the team to score from that possession.
Space refers to the offensive positioning. Too many bodies within too close of proximity when the offense has the ball simply gives the defending team the advantage. One defender can now cover multiple players. By creating space, a disctinct amount of space between offensive players, defenders must commit to defending a specific, and lone, player. Where the defender goes, the offense can now go the other direction with the ball.
Pass is the easiest term of the three to frame. It simply means that the offense must either move with, shoot, or pass the ball within a short amount of time. The longer the ball remains static in one location, the easier a defense can converge on the ball, set up an effective defensive strategy, and execute a steal, block or rebound. Passing keeps the defenders off balance, giving the offense a prolonged advantage.
Next: The Death Squad
The Death Squad
The biggest challenge? Finding a lineup of NBA players who can play effectively on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court, as well as accelerate the throttle to take full advantage of the pace, space and pass scheme. The San Antonio Spurs, and the Golden State Warriors, have mastered the space pace pass quandary by downsizing their teams – in essence, by taking advantage of smaller bodies on the court to speed up their tempo. In Golden State, the lineup has achieved such notoriety that is is known as the “death squad”.
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But whatever it is known as, it falls back to the basic principals of the pace space and pass. Pace and Space takes the pressure off of one particular player, and enhances the magnitude of the five-man unit. It keeps the defense guessing. It camouflages players’ weaknesses, and accentuates their strengths. Drivers are able to get to the rim free of too much traffic in the paint. Off-ball runners are able to utilize several screens. Jump-shooters are able to get open shots.
With a Philadelphia 76ers team already under construction with big bodies like Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid, the small ball option of other teams does not appear to be the direction of the Sixers process. Despite the team utilizing their own version of small ball, and with very positive results, the team continues to press forward with the big bodies future. Can it be that the team doesn’t “get” it, or is there some ulterior motive for pressing forward?
Next: Saric Helps Sixers Pass
Saric Helps Sixers Pass The Competition
When the Philadelphia 76ers traded their just drafted Elfrid Payton to the Orlando Magic for the rights to Dario Saric in 2014, they obtained the 2017 first round pick as well as the Magic’s 2015 second round pick. A player today, for potential prosepcts tomorrow. But with the passing of time, the value of Dario Saric has diminished to the Sixers fan base. Out of sight, out of mind, and with so many holes to fill on this team, the Philadelphia 76ers appear to be in need of far more than the services of a lone forward from the Anadolu Efes team.
We have updated the status of Saric earlier this season, where we named his 2016 arrival as a key element to the rebuild. As the team becomes ever closer to selecting Ben Simmons in the NBA draft, his arrival becomes even more vital.
This is the extract from that article that spells out his essential skills to the Sixers next season:
"He can work a fast break. He can set up at the corner and sink a trey. He can defend the basket and turn and sink a fade-away jumper. If the team has a good mid range shooter (and Embiid appears to be very good), Saric can threaten both deep and mid range. His long range shot is developing nicely overseas. That has made a tremendous difference for him in becoming a more complete offensive player. Saric was in a groove in December, hitting 52.3 percent of his treys during that run, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can continue to hit at that clip. Since December 2015, he’s been actually hitting on 40% of his treys."
From the moment he arrives, Dario Saric will impact the Sixers ability to move the ball, and move it quickly. He moves the ball quickly with ease, demonstrating superior vision and court awareness. He pushes the ball, and he can pass the ball to anywhere on the court, at times with the accuracy of a laser guided sight.
But he is just one, and the Sixers have struggled this year with untimely turnovers. In fact, the Sixers are dead last in the NBA with turnovers, averaging 16.5 turnovers per game. That number is .5 greater than the next teams in the rankings, and 2.5 higher than the league mean of 14.0. Placing one player on the team who can excel at passing does not fix the problem, as Saric will simply not have anyone to pass the ball to with confidence.
Next: Simmons Saric Solution
Simmons Saric Solution
But Ben Simmons can fix that. Despite his absence from the NCAA tournament, his skill-sets are vital to the Philadelphia 76ers. His basketball IQ, court awareness, and selfless style of play give him a strong shot at being slotted into a “Magic Johnson-esque” point guard role with the Sixers. With Saric sliding down to man the small forward role, the team immediately places themselves into the heart of Mike D’Antoni’s wheelhouse – a pace space pass schemed offense. Simmons and Saric are not the only players with passing abilities. With Joel Embiid having better than expected passing skills for his size, the team could emerge into the 2016-2017 season far better than originally expected.
Add Saric, Simmons, and Valentine, and just push the ball every possession. Decision makers with the ball are a wonderful thing.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) March 13, 2016
That lineup also takes on a different dimension in the NBA. While other teams go small, the potential for a Simmons/Saric pairing on the Sixers roster could practically redefine the pace space pass offensive scheme, and launch the NBA towards emulating a team that boasts the tallest starting lineups in the NBA.
While there is no guarantee whether the Sixers will be able to select Simmons in the NBA draft, the potential has already become fully embedded in the minds of the front office – including newcomers like executive Jerry Colangelo and assistant coach Mike D’Antoni. And with that knowledge of the possibility, you can bet that this team is already preparing an offense should that scenarior take place.
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No offense is 100% effective from the moment it’s drawn up on a chalkboard. No NBA rookie is 100% effective from the first game through the end of their careers. The offense will need to take the scheme out for test drives, put it through it’s paces, and refine the strategy to optimize its effectiveness with the existing talent. So too, NBA rookies must familiarize themselves with a new team, new scheme, new settings, and even their own development by trial and error.
But long hoped for results will eventually come.
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So as all eyes now turn to the NCAA tournament, and the performance of players in that competition will drive talk of the 2016 NBA draft, don’t forget Ben Simmons. Despite not carrying his team to the NCAA tournament, has plenty to offer the NBA, and the Philadelphia 76ers in particular.