As so many focused on the Philadelphia 76ers front court, the team has surprisingly built a nearly elite small ball roster for the 2017-2018 season
The Philadelphia 76ers have flirted with a tall ball roster since drafting point forward Ben Simmons. Yes, I have been one of “those guys” who had plenty to say about the topic, and I may do so again as the team settles in on lineups and game strategies. But for now, I want to touch on the opposite end of the Sixers’ size spectrum: small ball.
While the Philadelphia 76ers are, in theory, capable of tall ball, we know from history that this team has run small ball at times, with great success.
Coach Brown duct taped a small ball lineup
Now, those teams played more from the passion and inspiration of head coach Brett Brown. Check out this November 2015 lineup:
Did that lineup scare anyone? Not really, but the team had intriguing success when they went small. While the rest of the NBA did so to place better shooters on the floor, this 76ers version featured better grit and defense.
Small by necessity
Let’s not kid ourselves. The Philadelphia 76ers did not experiment with small ball out of curiosity, nor out of optimizing the number of wins in a season. It came down to pure, unadulterated necessity.
The 2015-2016 team did not have the luxury of having seen center Joel Embiid, and center Jahlil Okafor was lost to the team after 53 games. So the team had to “improvise”.
I.E. the team went small.
But let’s look at the team in the 2017 version?
2017 version of small ball
PG – Fultz/Bayless
SG – Redick
SF– Luwawu-Cabarrot
PF – Covington
C – Simmons
I’ve omitted Dario Saric, Jahlil Okafor, T.J. McConnell, Nik Stauskas, and Richaun Holmes purposefully. While they could pose a role in a small ball lineup (see Okafor in November 2015), the team’s goal of rapid ball movement, quick players, and shooting from the three-point line aims the roster sights on the named players.
While this squad has yet to play a single NBA minute together, it’s certainly a dangerous line-up!
New and improved
The small ball version of yesteryear relied heavily on the “in your face” of T.J.McConnell and Nik Stauskas. While there was some three-point shooting, the offense relied in driving to the basket with sheer footspeed.
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In the 2017 version, the team boasts a floor with Markelle Fultz, J.J. Redick, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot , Robert Covington and Ben Simmons. Tempo will be set by fast paced passing, and the three-point shooting of Fultz, Redick and Covington.
In short, we needn’t see the results to know it can perform well. We know how well this dynamic played in the past with a lineup which was more “raw”.
2017 lineup versatility feeds the small ball concept
Coach Brown’s Pace-Space-Pass mantra is even more realized with this year’s talent. With a solid core of NBA veterans, plus the tremendous upside of two top-drafted NBA players debuting simultaneously, the 76ers small ball version can be incredibly successful.
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The wildcard is the newest member of the team, guard Markelle Fultz. Having seen his play for Washington, I can attest to the potential of this young man being far undervalued by so many still. Paired up with the likes of Ben Simmons, he will be capable of scoring at will. Meanwhile, his high basketball IQ lends itself to recognizing what the defense focuses upon. He has a selfless style which does not hesitate to pass the ball out of double coverage.
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Yes, I would love to see this team toss a tall ball lineup at the NBA. But I won’t deny that the small ball version of the Philadelphia 76ers this year is equally intriguing. In the end, however the Philadelphia 76ers need to align to taste post season play is just fine by me.