The Philadelphia 76ers have the potential to change how franchises go about team building.
One glance at the Philadelphia 76ers‘ roster and it’s easy to see where this article is heading. The Sixers have size, to a degree no other NBA team can currently match. The starting lineup consists of five players with wingspans at or exceeding 6-foot-10.
Joel Embiid and Al Horford will man the frontcourt. Two natural centers who, at 7-foot-2 and 6-foot-10, have the versatility to partner up. Ben Simmons is a 6-foot-10 ‘point guard’. Tobias Harris is a sturdy 6-foot-9. Josh Richardson, the smallest link, is an elite on-ball defender at 6-foot-6.
The Sixers will throw a constant mix of length, athleticism and versatility at their opponents. Only two players on the active roster — Raul Neto and Trey Burke — have wingspans below 6-foot-10. Two out of 15.
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There’s a real opportunity for Philadelphia to set a trend. To counteract the small-ball era of Golden State with bolder, even more unique lineup combinations. It’s not traditionalist — old school lineups still featured smaller guards. It’s a new retort to the evolving nature of today’s game.
In the postseason, Philadelphia was able to give Toronto trouble due to size alone. It wasn’t until the Raptors adjusted — using Marc Gasol–Serge Ibaka–Pascal Siakam team-ups — that Toronto regained steady footing and won the series in Game 7.
There’s a chance we begin to see more of those jumbo-sized lineups in the NBA, with Philly operating at the forefront. While valid concerns over the Sixers’ ability to handle smaller, more dynamic ball handlers persist, Philadelphia has a real chance to force adjustments from other teams.
Brett Brown’s core philosophies are simple: he wants to defend and he wants to move the ball. The Sixers have multiple high-end passers in Simmons and Horford, while Richardson averaged a career-high 4.1 assists last season. Even without traditional positions, the Sixers should have little issue finding ways to initiate different sets.
In moving the ball, Philadelphia will also target mismatches — a common practice last season. Spacing will never be a strong suit, but the Sixers have enough size and physicality to dominate the interior regardless. That advantage has only been magnified over the summer.
The Sixers will have a near-constant size advantage. All five starters, to varying degrees, can post-up smaller players. Each has a workable face-up game as well, using strong dribble moves to overwhelm inferior defenders en route to the basket.
Brown will want Philadelphia to locate those advantages early and often. Whether it’s Embiid on the block, Horford on the elbow, Harris on the perimeter — it won’t matter. If the Sixers can translate size into easy looks, the offense won’t need flawless execution on every possession.
On the defensive end, the Sixers will take a similar approach — overwhelming the opposition with endless wingspan. While Harris is a potential weakness on the wing, few backstops are more effective than Embiid and Horford patrolling the interior. Simmons and Richardson are great on-ball and can defend across the positional spectrum.
In a broad sense, the Sixers aren’t risking versatility in favor of size. It’s the opposite. The Sixers are adding versatility though size, embracing length and mobility without a clear weakness on either end.
While there’s still no sample size to draw from, Philadelphia projects as a top-end defense. They also project as a strong offensive team, staggering minutes between five borderline All-Stars. It’s a unique mix of players, but one that should work.
There are already other teams on the verge of using bigger rotations. There’s talk of the Lakers eschewing a traditional point guard in favor of LeBron James. The Mavericks have a glut of intriguing bigs. The Raptors, even sans Kawhi, are still loaded up front.
The season still lies ahead and Philadelphia has a lot to prove. It’s Brett Brown’s most pressured season to date, while Embiid and Simmons are accumulating critics at a rapid pace. If things break right, however, there’s a chance Philadelphia changes the perception of how to properly construct a contender.