The Sixer Sense
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How do the Philadelphia 76ers Balance Their Passing?

By Josh Wilson

Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) looks to pass during the third 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 forward Robert Covington (33) looks to pass during the third 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 /
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The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of passers on their squad, but how do they make sure they’re able to score as a result of their heavy passing?

The Philadelphia 76ers have a ton of players that are good at passing. In theory, that seems like it would be a fantastic problem to have, but if you don’t have players that are able to put the finishing touches on things and ultimately score, you’ve got a bit of an issue.

This offseason, the Sixers drafted Ben Simmons with the top overall pick in the draft. They also brought over Dario Saric, who had been stashed overseas for two seasons after being drafted in 2014. Although Saric wasn’t much of a master passer when he was first drafted, he turned out to have a solid passing skill set over the few years he spent in Turkey.

Really, that’s the idea of drafting and stashing. You put players overseas so that they can fill out to be better players and develop without eating up a roster spot. If Saric ends up being the player we think he will be, he will be the poster child of a successful draft and stash.

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On top of those two, the Sixers added Sergio Rodriguez, a fairly good passer, as well as Gerald Henderson and Jerryd Bayless, who each can facilitate the ball fairly well.

Additionally, the Sixers will likely bring back T.J. McConnell, who was a very good passer last season. His biggest games early on in the season were back-to-back games with 12 assists.

It’s clear that the Sixers have a lot of passers. That can be the start of something great. An offensive system that moves the ball all over the place has the potential to be solid. In theory, the ball will move until the best possible shot is opened up, and then that player will take the shot, and, in theory, make the shot.

But does the team possibly have too much passing going on? Don’t get me wrong, passing is something that is important to making a good and successful offense, but you also have to have players that can sink their shots. And right now, the Sixers are lacking in that realm.

Because of that, the Sixers really need to focus on balancing their passing. Pass-first mentality is not a problem, but pass-heavy could become an issue. If the Sixers are looking to get as many touches as possible before a shot, they may miss out on something big for a scorer such as Joel Embiid or Jahlil Okafor.

One thing the team can do to balance passing is keep Saric and Simmons in opposite lineups. They play very similarly, being guard-like power forwards, and therefore should be run in opposite lines.

Another thing the team can do is emphasize ending point to their passing. The goal is to score, so the passers need to make sure the ball gets in the hands of Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, or whoever has the best look. If the shot clock is running out and T.J. McConnell has the ball and has to chuck up a bad long 2-pointer, there’s a problem with the passing.

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Thirdly, they can work closely with players who have a strong ability in passing and a weak ability in shooting. It would be best if all players could do both things well, but that’s not only going to be the case. The team should ensure that players like T.J. McConnell and Ben Simmons are going to get solid repetitions shooting the ball so that they can develop more of a shot to compliment their passing.

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By no means am I saying that there is a problem with having too many passers, or having people good with passing on the team. There is a benefit to having these players who can seemingly get the ball to any teammate on the court. That being said, the Sixers can maximize their success with these passers if they balance their lineups and balance their players skill sets well going into this season.