Got What Brown Wanted
If you draw the common thread among the new arrivals to the team this season, what is the theme?
Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot each contribute upgrades in at least two of the four areas just discussed: Shooting Accuracy, Assists, Rebounds, and Three Point Accuracy.
More from The Sixer Sense
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Sixers Podcast: Danny Green returns + James Harden bombshell
In fact, if you focus on Simmons, Saric and Hernandez, you will see all three newcomers have superior passing ability. Not just a proclivity to pass, but the type of ball distribution which unto itself can make highlight films.
The Philadelphia 76ers offense is scheme dependent. With the exception of Jahlil Okafor, Robert Covington, Carl Landry, and T.J. McConnell to some extent, most of the players fall into a catch and shoot variety. Some rely upon getting to a specific point on the court, setting up for the pass, and shooting.
Often the ball never arrived, and the ball-handler had to go elsewhere or take a lower percentage shot.
In this new offense, in a lineup with some combination of Simmons, Saric, and Hernandez, the ball will get there. Looking back at the Philadelphia 76ers offense last season, the arrival of point guard Ish Smith , the team had a huge spike in offensive production. In November 2015, the team’s offense sputtered at 91.5 points per game. When Ish Smith arrived, the same offense blasted ahead to over 100 points per game. While some of that coincided to the arrival of assistant coach Mike D’Antoni, the reality is that Smith connected to his teammates, putting up the sweet alley oops that are so vital to the offense of Nerlens Noel and Richaun Holmes. Prior to Smith’s arrival, Noel seldom strung together consecutive double digit scoring games. After Smith, he strung together six games with better than 10 points twice.
Next: Simmons and the Rising Tide Effect