The Future of Philadelphia Space
The future of the Philadelphia 76ers is Ben Simmons, and Simmons will likely be the player bringing the ball down the court. That really does nothing for the spacing issue.
What it has done is forced the Philadelphia 76ers to focus on space with the roster. Each of the 76ers free agents: Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless, and Gerald Henderson, can manufacture their own shots. In the draft, the team selected Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Furkan Korkmaz. Finally, debuting this season are Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.
While the overall impact to the team will be generated from less than half of this number of players, the impact will be huge. The Philadelphia 76ers will not only be a fast team, but the players will be in motion. We may not be able to keep tabs on who is going where, but we won’t need to. Ben Simmons will be responsible, and that is why his arrival means so much for the 76ers.
Moving forward, Both Luwawu and Korkmaz are the type of shooting guards who can move without the ball, defend very well, and reinforce the team at the shooting guard position.
Conceivably, the team may be incredibly proficient at the fast break next year as well. Either Saric or Simmons can start the play with a rebound and a pass downcourt. A guard breaking for the basket would be a terrific way to end a heads up play.
But it can mean feeding the ball to a dominant center as well. Joel Embiid should be able to defeat single and double teams at the post. Simmons will place the ball in just the right place to ensure that he does.
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