The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Emerging As Pace Space Pass Legends

By Bret Stuter

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown (right) poses with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum after the 76ers receive the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown (right) poses with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum after the 76ers receive the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (not pictured) parents Julie (R) and David (M) sit with head coach Brett Brown (L) during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (not pictured) parents Julie (R) and David (M) sit with head coach Brett Brown (L) during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Everything’s Waiting For you…

Brown Town.  This is the Philadelphia 76ers, and they are coached by Brett Brown.  After all, Brett Brown learned from Gregg Popovich. But patience was something he had to engineer himself. You see, Popovich met with almost immediate success and never relinquished his hold upon it. Brett Brown began the journey with Sam Hinkie in the scorched earth of the remains of what was then the Philadelphia 76ers.

But rather than do the obvious: overpay for a moderately skilled free agent and hold on dearly to a sub-.500 team ad infinitum, the pairing concluded that the Spurs were the team to emulate – building NBA supremacy by crafting a team from the NBA draft, and filling in with niche veterans for a specific purpose.  But it took Hinkie and Brown three years to get the NBA draft well primed, and when that happened, everything has begun to fall into place.

More from The Sixer Sense

Ben Simmons was the first selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.  But more so, he was the first direction for the Philadelphia 76ers in five years.  It was not since the team failed in their attempt to land Andrew Bynum and Arnette Moutrie into the same frontcourt that this team has reached for a cornerstone to build around.  With Simmons as the point forward/guard this year, the team now has a rebounder, distributor, pace-setting, court general who can elevate the game of players around him.

Two red-shirted players: Joel Embiid, and Dario Saric, are already standing pretty tall in their own games.  Embiid is a 7-foot-two center with remarkable athleticism and versatility, who has been rehabbing for two years.  Saric is a 6-foot-10 power forward who has played internationally for two seasons, but has used the time to create quite a name for himself as he leads the Croatian national team to upset victory in the 2016 Olympics.

In these three, the team is debuting a trio who are very capable on their own.  Together, they will form the core of the team going forward.  This is a team which will resemble nothing like last season’s ten win roster.  This team is built for speed, for distributing the ball, and for knocking down three point shots.

Next: What's So Different This Year?