What can we learn during Philadelphia 76ers preseason?

BROOKLYN, NY – MARCH 28: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up before the game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 28, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Offense KPIs

Okay. Let’s get right to it. Ignore wins and losses. Ignore final scores and points given up. Preseason is the warmup cycle to the regular season.

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KPI I: Which five players start most preseason games?
KPI II: Which players take the most three-point shot attempts?

The offense of the Philadelphia 76ers should be very much improved this season. To reach the playoffs, there will be no second chances. The team must be able to score. While the goal is identifying the starters for the season, there is no relation to who starts in the season to who starts in the preseason.

Establishing trust among starters

Think of it this way. Preseason is the sketch pad for coaches to learn about unknowns. So if the starting five are already known, what is there to discover? Yes, veteran teams use preseason to shake off the rust and find a rhythm. But this is hardly a veteran team. In fact, the projected starters for this team have never played an NBA game together.

So preseason will focus on establishing trust and rhythm. That means the team will likely get point man Ben Simmons on the court as much as possible. After all, he is the catalyst to the offense, so it’s most important to establish him in each lineup.

The secondary priority is setting up the perimeter shooters. Who can sink the trey? That can be anyone on the roster, but look for a higher than usual set of attempts from long range as the team tries to baseline who has the best accuracy and mechanics from long range.