Can These Philadelphia 76ers Win Games?
By Bret Stuter
Movement
When the Philadelphia 76ers take the court this year, they will be a completely different team. I’m not referring to new faces, but to a new style. Last season, head coach Brett Brown admitted that without a veteran point guard, and with a rookie center leading the offense, he had to simplify his plays to basic options.
That simplification allowed opponents to outguess, and stymie, the Philadelphia 76ers offense.
But in the 2016-2017 season, the team not only have a starting caliber point guard, but likely has the makings of one of the best ball movement teams in the NBA. That gives Brown the green light to open up the offense from day one.
The key will be to get the ball to the open man, something like this play:
With the team’s addition of Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, and Sergio Rodriguez, the passing and assist game has just received a huge booster shot.
It won’t happen on every night. It won’t happen consistently through the course of the game. But there will be times when the transition game – fast break will give an appearance of the Philadelphia 76ers being nearly unbeatable.
The action will start with Ben Simmons, who is always dangerous to score a triple double on any given evening. His refined passing skills, merged with that of Saric and Rodriguez, will give the Philadelphia 76ers offense a kick. Defensive players who rely upon scheme to make shots like Nerlens Noel or Richaun Holmes will get a huge bump in offense. Even the likes of Robert Covington will see improvement as he will get cleaner looks from beyond the arc.
Additional Wins from Improvement:
PLUS SIX
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