When Ben Simmons Returns, Get Ready For The Sixer Shuffle
By Bret Stuter
Pass Happy Brown
Ben Simmons is a circus pass athlete. But he is not the only player on the roster who can pass well, however. Sergio Rodriguez is seventh in the NBA with 7.1 assists per game. But the team has been getting some assists from Dario Saric (1.8 APG), Joel Embiid (1.3 APG) and Gerald Henderson (1.2 APG).
Simmons arrival should deliver a Rodriguez like passing/assists. But does the team have enough shooters?
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Even injured, the team has been showing a steadily improving three-point accuracy. And while the team began the season at an abysmal offensive paced, the team has improved in the past week. Rising from dead last at 92.8 points per game a week ago, the 76ers are up to 96.4 points per game, good enough for 28th in the NBA.
To be fair, in just nine games this season, the 76ers have faced a top ten NBA defense five times . But in two games against the Atlanta Hawks, the 76ers were never really close. Atlanta has an incredibly fast moving offense with lots of passing and assists, and great spacing. At 7-2, the Atlanta Hawks have assembled a team much like that which Brown is fashioning the 76ers.
Ben Simmons will lead the team in that direction. Joel Embiid can do a lot of damage from the post, but ultimately, the team surrounding him must either score or get him the ball. Many games find the team struggling to do one or the other.
Simmons sliding into the lineup with Embiid, Saric, Henderson, and Rodriguez instantly rivals the top passing teams in the league. That dictates lots of ball movement, and that opens up shots for “The Process”.