The Sixer Sense
Fansided

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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Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard T.J. McConnell (12) drives toward the net during the fourth quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 109-108 in OT. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard T.J. McConnell (12) drives toward the net during the fourth quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 109-108 in OT. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

Pass

The final piece to this Brown blueprint is the pass.  In short, it’s the ball movement that involves more than one player.  Ultimately, ball distribution moves the ball from the point to the shooter for a score, and generates an assist.    In the 2015-2016 season, the Philadelphia 76ers were twelfth in the league (out of 30 teams) in assist percentage.

While not earth-shattering, it’s impressive in that it happened with a rather loosely constructed roster.  But can the team improve upon that?

They can and will.

Last season, the team was led on assist percentage by T.J. McConnell with 37.1 assists per 100 possessions.  While it’s not uncommon for a point guard to lead the team, the starting guard, Ish Smith, came in at nearly 10 assists less with 27.3 assists per 100.

The epitome of ball movement is the Golden State Warriors.  On their roster, the team has three players with better than 30 assists per 100:  power forward Draymond Green, point guard Shaun Livingston, small forward Andre Iguodala, and center Andrew Bogut fell just short with 29.7 assists.

This year, the Philadelphia 76ers will likely have Joel Embiid/ Nerlens Noel at center, Dario Saric at power forward, Ben Simmons at small forward, and Sergio Rodriguez at point guard.  While they may not all match the Warriors, you can bet they’ll do well on the statistic.

Next: The Future of Philadelphia Pass