Philadelphia 76ers Can Run Small Ball

With a patchwork lineup last season, the Philadelphia 76ers actually put up some pretty good numbers with their version of small ball. But if needed, that small ball alternative could do very well this season as well.

Small ball is the latest fad in the NBA. It’s an overshift of the five man lineup to three guards, leaving a center and a forward or two forwards. The concept is to surrender height to gain an advantage at ball control, team speed and defense, and load up the perimeter with the best three point shooters of the team.

More from Sixers News

Sometimes it does very well, sometimes it does not so well.

But in the limited occasions for the appearance of small ball in the Philadelphia 76ers arsenal in 2015-2016, it was run very well.

An area where head coach Brett Brown has truly been impressive is managing the team when it goes “off-script”. When the team had to show up without top scorer Jahlil Okafor, Brett Brown trotted out his version of small ball at key moments, and the smaller guys responded well. Even when the team did lose the game, it was the appearance of the small ball guys simultaneously who kept them close.

With the team sitting on a roster right now with T.J. McConnell, Jerryd Bayless, Sergio Rodriguez, Gerald Henderson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Kendall Marshall, Brandon Paul, Anthony “Cat” Barber, Nik Stauskas, and Hollis Thompson, the Philadelphia 76ers will need to wade through ten options for two positions rather quickly.

The best way to do that is to run some small ball in practice and in pre-season. Since the team will be using small ball to work the back court players in front of the coaches, it only falls to logic for the team to include some small ball plays during the season to flex some of the small ball muscle recently added to the team. More importantly, it will give the team familiarity with positions and lineups which they may experience in the season. In a small ball rotation, Dario Saric or even Ben Simmons could take a center position, Jerami Grant or Robert Covington could take the forward role, and the remainder could be made up of perimeter shooters.

The Philadelphia 76ers are building something special now. If the team sees enough of Joel Embiid to believe he is an authentic gifted player, it would be an option to use his off nights to tune up the shorter guys.

Next: Can O'Brien and Brown Coach These Philadelphia 76ers?

The key to the Philadelphia 76ers this year is versatility, and part of that falls into the realm of adapting to the opponent’s weakness and to the team’s strengths. While this team will have it’s “tall ball” moments, there is value in keeping the small ball option alive and well. As the roster is pruned going forward, there may be wisdom in having more, rather than fewer, options on how best to arrange the players.

If the 2015-2016 version could find success in the NBA, imagine the upside to this year’s version?