Lineup No. 4
- PG Ben Simmons
- SG Gerald Henderson
- SF Robert Covington
- PF Dario Saric
- C Nerlens Noel
Finally. Ben Simmons, point guard mode. The 6-10 forward out of LSU was always praised for his generational court vision coming into the draft, and has only reassured his uncanny skill level during Summer League– enough to play point guard, if asked to. This would allow the Sixers to run out four players standing at least 6-9 in heigh while retaining ample playmaking and some solid spacing around the court, all while having Noel protecting the rim down low.
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Simmons is able to find his spots on the floor and in turn find others like few players in the league today can. For a natural power forward at just 19 years of age, a player with his level of overaching skill and physical superiority is almost unheard of, and this lineup would allow to Sixers to try and take the utmost advantage of that. He can spearhead the offense, putting the opposition in somewhat of a jam defensively if their point guard isn’t overly comfortable guarding Gerald Henderson.
Saric gives Philly another point forward to help keep the ball moving, and spaces the floor alongside Covington in the frontcourt. Both are lengthy defenders who can play out to the perimeter as well, allowing the Sixers to switch defensively with ease onto the outside. This is much similar to Lineup No. 2 mentioned earlier, but Covington gives an entirely different level of versatility that slotting a traditional point guard in Jerryd Bayless doesn’t provide.
Henderson can guard the point guard spot, or Ben Simmons could take his fair share of shots at doing so if necessary This is the one potential defensive drawback that could make Brett Brown shy away from utilizing a group like this, especially to start off the game. With that said, Henderson is a strong perimeter defender and should be able to hold his own in this scenario without problem.
Next: Lineup No. 5