On the surface the Philadelphia 76ers have a logjam at the point guard position however, there is one simple solution that will allow both players to play.
Recently I wrote an article about the possible backups for J.J. Redick. In that article I went into detail about how combo guard Jerryd Bayless could be a backup shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers this up coming season. If Bayless comes in as the off guard and T.J. McConnell coming in as the point would solve of which point guard will get consistent playing time. This would allow the team to have both the grit of McConnell and fit of Bayless that my colleague Jason Blevins went into detail about in comparing the two guards. There are very many positives having these two as the reserve up back court with very few negatives.
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The Positives
Both Bayless and McConnell are play makers which will easy for them to be set each other up for success plays. For example, McConnell can penetrate and kick out the ball to Bayless for a 3-point shot. Brian Bachman of The Sixer Sense wrote about something similar about how Bayless’ 3-point game could benefit from McConnell. On the same note, Bayless could hit McConnell cutting to the basket. Having two play makers in the second unit will mirror what Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz will be doing in the first unit. With that in mind the play book would not have to change too much if those two do end up running the second unit.
Defensively McConnell can defend the better offensive threat on the perimeter because between the two of them Bayless clearly lacks defensively.
| Rk | Player | From | To | PER | TS% | ORB% | DRB% | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerryd Bayless | 2009 | 2017 | 12.8 | .526 | 1.6 | 10.2 | 5.9 | 22.1 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 15.2 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 17.6 | .078 | -0.3 | -1.5 | -1.7 | 0.7 |
| 2 | T.J. McConnell | 2016 | 2017 | 14.0 | .507 | 2.4 | 12.5 | 7.3 | 37.4 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 22.4 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 5.7 | .073 | -1.9 | -0.1 | -2.0 | 0.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/11/2017.
McConnell can drive the defense for the second with his solid defensive rating.
Positives Negative
There is a flip side with having Bayless and McConnell out together on the defensive side of the ball. McConnell can take on the better offensive player on the perimeter, there is no doubt about that. The problem lies in their sizes. According to ESPN Philadelphia 76ers roster page, Bayless is listed at 6-foot-3 and McConnell is listed at 6-foot-2. NBA backcourts are slowly becoming bigger. With in mind, bigger guards will be inclined to post up either one of the these small guards. This is a problem that head coach Brett Brown will have to address if he does have both guards on the court at the same time.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers: Who is Redick’s backup
There are very evident positives for the Philadelphia 76ers having McConnell and Bayless on the court at the same time.