Philadelphia 76ers will hold major advantage on the boards in 2019-20

The Philadelphia 76ers should lead the NBA in rebounding.

When discussing the NBA’s elite teams, one factor that often gets overlooked is rebounding. The Milwaukee Bucks were staunch on defense and efficient on offense last season, but also led the NBA in rebounding. They happened to have the league’s best record.

Teams who control the glass often control the pace of games. It limits the opposition to one shot while generating second-chance points for the good guys. If a team can’t rebound, it can mitigate the usefulness of good defense and stifle good offense.

Last season, the Philadelphia 76ers were quite successful in that department. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were big reasons why — Embiid equipped with hulking size and Simmons leaning on unique speed, strength and explosion at 6-foot-10.

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The Sixers also added Tobias Harris — who averaged 7.9 rebounds per game on the season — at the trade deadline, giving Philadelphia three above-average rebounders at their positions. The bench was well-equipped for boards as well.

A team built on size and physicality, the Sixers’ ability to crash the glass and control tempo almost led to a second-round upset of Toronto — the eventual champions. It also made Philadelphia a difficult opponent in the regular season, even amidst turbulence and roster turnover.

Now, as the 2019-20 season approaches, Brett Brown’s squad is even better prepared to dominate the backboards. Al Horford and Josh Richardson join a jumbo-sized rotation, while the returns of James Ennis and Mike Scott ensure a steady rebounding presence in the second unit.

Horford isn’t an elite rebounder at 6-foot-10, but much of his career has been spent at center, where finesse was his greatest attribute. Horford will switch to long stints at power forward in Philadelphia, contributing his size and strength in conjunction with box-out extraordinaire Joel Embiid.

Embiid will engulf his usual share of boards, but his ability to clean the lane and keep his man off the glass will also benefit Horford — not to mention Simmons and Harris, who will both crash from the perimeter.

The Sixers will have four players standing 6-foot-9 or taller in the starting unit. That will allow Brown to crash the offensive glass with great success, which limits the risk of transition offense going the other way. It will also allow Philadelphia to keep opponents from racking up second-chance points.

In the second unit, Ennis has tremendous timing on the offensive glass. Scott is a tough, physical forward who gets after it. Even Zhaire Smith, who spent much of last season in rehab, is a sneaky good rebounder at 6-foot-4 due to his unique explosiveness and knack for well-timed leaps. Akin to a miniature Ben Simmons, in a sense.

Beyond Trey Burke and Raul Neto, who will compete for backup point guard minutes, the Sixers won’t have any ‘small’ players on the roster. Most everyone can at least competently rebound, especially when Embiid, Horford and Simmons are clearing out space inside.

The Sixers should make rebounding a focus next season, and they have the personnel to build on a 2018-19 campaign which saw them average 47.8 boards per game. The expectation should be Philadelphia leads the NBA in team rebounding.