Philadelphia 76ers unconventional winners
By Bret Stuter
Tall Ball, and a whole lot more
The concept is complex and many layered. But rolled up, it is referred to as Tall Ball. More specifically, it’s positionless basketball. While the Sixers have more readily recognizable names, let’s look at the case of second year forward Dario Saric. In the Philadelphia 76ers system, he can line up at center, power forward, small forward, and even point guard. There is no reason to believe he cannot line up at shooting guard either.
While there is always an argument why he is not great at any position, the fact is that he is capable enough to hold his own at any such traditional position. In essence, he morphs into the player needed at any given time.
Marvin Bagley III
The case is punctuated by Duke’s star big Marvin Bagley III. Standing 6-foot-10.5 and weighing in at 221 pounds, this NCAA freshman is dominating college basketball as a likely one-and-done player. But he defies a traditional category
Asked a scout if his team sees Marvin Bagley as a PF or a C: "These guys are making us throw away the old labels. League is basically going to be point guards, wings and bigs soon. Like within a year a or two at most. So, he's just a big for us."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 28, 2017
Ultimately, Bagley III is an incredibly talented big. And that makes him a unique player. Just like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, and Robert Covington. Well, perhaps not so unique after all. In fact, as you look around the league to Kristaps Porzingis, Karl Anthony Towns, and other young bigs, you see a pattern developing which Sam Hinkie predicted years ago.