Play Your Strong Suit
We have all speculated to some length about the intentions of the team this season. Even Brett Brown admitted that he would be surprised if the team began the season with all three centers on the roster.
Brett Brown asked on @MikeandIke94WIP if he'd be surprised if started season with same # of current bigs:"I would be surprised". #Sixers
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) June 27, 2016
But the same Brett Brown also revealed his governing philosophy a year ago:
"“I think it is relevant,” Brown said of the NBA’s preference for small ball. “But trends don’t necessarily mean that’s the correct path with respective teams. The path that Golden State went on catered to their strengths first. For me it always gets down to, how do you get your best players on the court? The trend we’re talking about with small ball is true, but I don’t see it being the answer, that it’s the only way.”"
Right now, getting the best players on the court became much simpler with the addition of Ben Simmons. Those players are Simmons, Embiid, Okafor, Saric, and Covington. That just so happens to be the tall ball lineup we’ve anticipated.
The team has added enough veterans to patch the team together until the young players on the roster earn starting minutes as they improve and develop throughout the season. In fact, the Philadelphia 76ers bench appears to be rather robust when you consider it will likely have Nerlens Noel, Richaun Holmes, Jerami Grant, Nik Stauskas, and T.J. McConnell. Now layer in the veterans of Carly Landry, Jerryd Bayless, Sergio Rodriguez, and Gerald Henderson and this feels like a solid group.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers Test Grant And Stauskas On Vegas Roster
There may have been logic to fielding trade options to Jahlil Okafor earlier in the year, but I’m beginning to question that logic now. Ben Simmons is demonstrating that he can feed a player sitting in the post even in traffic. All he needs is a player to score when the ball arrives. Jahlil Okafor has demonstrated he can score when he sits in the post. All he needed is a player to feed him the ball.
I think this has a chance of working. I hope the Philadelphia 76ers give it a chance to find out.