The 2017-2018 Philadelphia 76ers have lots of good solid basketball topics for discussion this year, but perhaps the best is the simplest. In short, who will lead the Philadelphia 76ers in scoring?
The cart before the horse in Philadelphia? Perish the thought. It’s the off-season, and this is the natural time for speculation and discussion. Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers have plenty to talk about. Yes, this team is coming off a mere 28 win season. But in context, that win total is coming off a 10 win season the previous year, happened with the team short plenty of starters injured virtually the entire season, and before the team drafted the top pick from the NBA Draft for a second consecutive year.
Some will say that no team has ever won over 40 games in the NBA while starting two rookies. While that’s certainly true, never before has the NBA witnessed a team debuting two top-draft pick rookies simultaneously. So this is a new territory.
New ground covered by Philadelphia 76ers
New territory not just for the Philadelphia 76ers, but the entire NBA. So as pioneers, the Philadelphia 76ers fan base have plenty of room to set the standards of what is and is not acceptable and the norm.
And that is why the Philadelphia 76ers fans have plenty to discuss. Let’s start with something simple, shall we? Like, who will lead this team in scoring?
You’ve come a long way baby
The Philadelphia 76ers have not had elite scoring since the team nosedived through the austerity in the 2013-2014 season. But if we seek out the offensive acumen of a 20 plus point scorer in a season for the Philadelphia 76ers, you must set the time machine all the way back to the 2006-2007 season and shake hands with the Answer himself, Allen Iverson.
The baton has been passed, in sorts, to the new kid on the block, The Process himself, Joel Embiid. In fact, it’s been Embiid’s 20.2 rookie season (albeit in just 31 games) that has started much of the chatter about this year’s upside. While I truly believe that the Philadelphia 76ers have added enough talent to be in playoff discussion even in a minute-restricted Embiid season, I hope it does not come to that.
This season will be one the fans have waited for patiently.
The likely top Sixers scorers
I won’t go down the entire roster. But I will state that this team is far better than any before under head coach Brett Brown. That being said, I will limit the focus on the top four scoring threats for the Philadelphia 76ers this season.
Much of this is contingent upon playing time. Both games played and minutes per game. But while that is the norm for any team, this Philadelphia 76ers team has sat Joel Embiid for 2.6 seasons, and Ben Simmons for 1.0 season. So where does that place us?
Front court scoring
Until now, Brett Brown has centered his scoring through the… center. And that makes sense as he learned NBA coaching during the Tim Duncan–David Robinson era of the San Antonio Spurs. That places the first focus upon the big men who have a chance at some offensive pace-setting. Who comes to mind first?
Joel Embiid does of course. Coming off a 20.2 points per game in just 31 games from his rookie season, there is every reason to expect far more from this young man in his rookie/sophomore season. In fact, in a previous article about how this team has the potential for a magical Cinderella type season, I go on the record in projecting Embiid in the upper 20’s (28-30 PPG). If he can do that, he is the front runner to lead the team in scoring.
Too much responsibility?
My only concern in that projection is his dual responsibility. He is gifted offensively, yes. But he is the Rock of Gibraltar when it comes to team defense. As such, there is a risk that he will focus his attention to the defense, and defer the scoring to the younger bucks on the team
#sixers defense has been abysmal since ASB, but it was horrible (without Embiid) when team was winning in Jan, too https://t.co/G0QkuBsLIE pic.twitter.com/I60KUcuQkt
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) March 8, 2017
So who are those younger bucks, and how might they fare this season?
Ben belongs in discussion
Ben Simmons is certainly one. He is the number one pick from the 2016 NBA Draft and his versatility and proficiency has set the table for plenty of heated dialogue. What is he? Point guard? Power forward? Small forward? Point forward? What does it matter, as he will play his role offensively, and will defend whomever matches up to guard him.
Air Alamo
That will likely be a small forward, and that mean little to the offense of Simmons. You see, Ben Simmons is like a 500 year flood. He is so rare, that it makes little sense to try and corral him. And that is what many NBA teams face trying to defend him. How do they? Too small of a defender and he plays over them. Too big, and he races and passes around them.
Upside is higher all the time
How good will Simmons offense be? He’s had a year to perfect his shooting. First and foremost, the NBA will test him on his jumper. A good number before his season off felt like 12-14 points per game. But with that year to improve, watch, mature, and train? I feel like he is a 20 points per game candidate now.
Simmons has the beauty of surprising the NBA via his rookie season, but the sage wisdom of having the vantage point to watch, observe, and learn from a season off the court. That combines into some tremendous upside for the young star. How far will it propel him his a matter of discussion.
Back Court
While Brett Brown has driven his offense through the front court, part of the explanation is that is where the team placed the best talent. That cannot be said this season, as the team has the return to health from Jerryd Bayless, the signing of free agent J.J. Redick, the drafting of 2017 top-pick Markelle Fultz, and the return of rapidly improving rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.
The Smoking Cuban
While that will cause Coach Brown new headaches (like, how to play them all effectively?), the point is that he now has backcourt options for his team. Let’s discuss who could
Ridick! Er… Redick!
J.J. Redick is certainly worthy of his name entering this discussion. He comes to the Philadelphia 76ers as a solid veteran of 11 years. In that time, he’s risen to the mid teen’s. But that was then, this is now. Coach Brown has a way of shaking career performances from players. Take the last season heroics of power forward Ersan Ilyasova. He rose from 5.0 points per game to the 14.8 points per game as a Sixer, but dropped to 10.4 points per game when traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
That same effect is exactly what will fuel the renaissance of Redick’s scoring. Not that he needs coached up, but rather will find himself the beneficiary of a pass happy fast tempo team where he will simply get more looks and shots per game. That could propel him into the 20’s this year. Enough to lead the team in scoring? Perhaps. But we have one more player to discuss.
Dark Horse
Markelle Fultz is the dark horse running for the scoring leader for this team. Yes, he’s just a rookie. Yes, he’s got plenty of talent around him, so he will not be expected to carry this team. But this young man is full of moves, jukes, shimmies, and shots that its impossible to keep him off this list. He’s my candidate for dark horse to lead the Sixers in scoring.
Okay, so I like the song too. It doesn’t dismiss the fact that Markelle Fultz has the potential to score a lot of points in the NBA, even as a 19 year-old rookie.
Purest offense on the team
The fact is that Markelle Fultz did not become a coveted draft pick for the Philadelphia 76ers to shovel the ball to others. He can do that quite well, and is unselfish to a fault. But when he sets his eyes on the basket, he has a full quiver of possible shots and moves to make that happen. And he is a natural at manufacturing his own shots.
It was that skill, the ability to excel with or without the ball, which brought his play into focus for the Philadelphia 76ers. This season demonstrates why. If he gets significant playing minutes, and can sustain his energy level for the entire season, he has a serious shot at scoring in the min-20’s.
He is the player who takes the ball and scores in critical moments. That says alot, but it’s a point that others are picking up as well. And so, if the dominoes fall the right way, Markelle Fultz could lead this team.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers need succession plan
In all honesty, it’s not important who as much it matters how much. The top scorer for the 76ers this year needs to be a solid mid 20’s. If two or three players hit the 20 points per game mark, so much the better.