D lineup, as in Defense
The Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown loves defense. So what would a starting lineup be for this team if he wanted to emphasize defense? Well how about this one? Center Nerlens Noel, power forward Joel Embiid, small forward Robert Covington, shooting guard Gerald Henderson and point guard Ben Simmons.
Offensively, this lineup would be good for about 95 points a game. On a good day, perhaps up to 100. The beauty of this simply is that 95 points would be enough. Enough, that is, to win games in the NBA.
That’s because the starting line-up would be enough to hold most opponent to fewer points. The Embiid Noel pairing has great promise
The #sixers 3pt defense failed them, but the interior defense? A glimpse of what an Embiid/Noel future could hold: https://t.co/X9yryrLO0f pic.twitter.com/oMKqIOVqfV
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 7, 2017
But whether sequentially, or simultaneously, the Okafor Noel combo seems to work.
Brown thought Embiid - Noel would give them rim protection on defense. So far they look effective on offense too.
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) January 4, 2017
And that’s the anchor. Surround that pair with the defensive expertise of Covington, Henderson, and Simmons and you’ve got yourself a pretty tall lineup of some incredibly aggressive and cabable defenders. But what about scoring?