Philadelphia 76ers Need Cohesion, Not Seniority

IV. The team is without leadership.

The same team which opened the season with injuries, also was plagued with the injuries to the more seasoned NBA players: Carl Landry and Tony Wroten.  The team began the season light in veteran presence, but about the time that Landry joined the team, Ish Smith was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans.  Shortly thereafter, the team brought in venerable power forward Elton Brand to serve as a mentor for the teams front court standouts of Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, and Jahlil Okafor.

While injuries eventually forced Brand to pull minutes, he was signed primarily to help mold the young players on the team.  But he was not the only veteran on the team, simply one of the few seasoned NBA players.

The team also had the likes of power forward Carl Landry on or after Christmas Holidays.  It was Landry’s consistent play on the court which coincided with the arrival of veteran point guard Ish Smith, launching the team into a temporary state of respectability.  But moreso than that, Landry was a presence in the practice gym, where he often took rookie Richaun Holmes under his wing to give him one on one instruction.

The team was not only queued for front court help, but they picked up a back court mentor when the team traded for the return of Ish Smith:

"“What T.J.’s doing out on the floor is really, really impressive. It’s funny because he’s got this awkward game when he gets around the rim. It’s fun to watch. It’s kind of Steve Nash-ish, where, you know, wrong foot, finishes, runners, and stuff like that. He’s been playing really good basketball since I’ve been here.” – point guard Ish Smitch discussing his protege’ T.J. McConnell"

The problem was not truly absence of team leaders, but the temporary absence of them.  Landry opened the season injured.  Smith did not arrive until nearly Christmas via trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.  Elton Brand did not arrive until January 4th.  So for the first three months of the season, the rookies were forced to fend for themselves in a brand new environment with their pockets stuffed full of NBA cash.  But it was a passing phase.  Eventually, veteran wisdom surfaced and began to take root on the roster.  Unfortunately, the team had already confirmed the fears of the NBA that the Sixers were too young.

But before the NBA intervened, health and veteran leadership found their way onto the Sixers roster.

Next: How About Some Honesty?