Philadelphia 76ers: It’s time for a new rotation
By Adam Gilbert
Brett Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers must work Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III into the fold.
Another intensely active NBA trade deadline has come and gone. This year’s action sees D’Angelo Russell join Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota, Andre Iguodala work is way out of Memphis to join the young Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat, and Marcus Morris become a Clipper after a bidding war for his services between the L.A. powerhouses.
With almost no assets, Philadelphia 76ers GM Elton Brand made an absolutely masterful move in the middle of the night before the deadline. He traded a 2020 second-round pick via Dallas, a 2021 second-round pick via Denver, and a 2022 second-round pick via Toronto, to Golden State in exchange for the services of Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks.
Unfortunately, with too many men on the roster, the Sixers were tasked with removing two players by the deadline to make room for their new acquisitions. They ended up trading James Ennis III to the Magic for a second-round pick and releasing backup point guard Trey Burke.
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Elton Brand was masterful in orchestrating this trade. The Sixers were desperate for 3-point shooters and someone with the ability to create a shot off the dribble. Brand fulfilled both of those needs and didn’t give up any young players in the process.
I was terrified they were going to see another trade with young players as the focal point. Though I love Tobias Harris, it was tough giving up Landry Shamet to get him. Shamet is going to be a great role player in the league for a long time. The progression of the Sixers young core will be crucial to this team in the coming years if they want to remain a contender. Job well done, EB!
Before we dive into a potential rotation, let’s breakdown the play styles of Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks. Robinson III is having a career year averaging 12.9 points per game shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. He brings floor spacing and above average defensive abilities to a team that prides itself on its defense and is desperate for players who can put the ball in the bucket.
Burks has also been playing out of his mind this year, averaging a career best 16.1 points per game shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep. Burks has transformed himself into a ball dominate scorer. He is the perfect backup for Simmons with the ability to act as the pick-and-roll ball handler when Embiid is the screener. Burks ability to shoot will open looks for Embiid on the roll.
The only downside is that both players are on one-year minimum contracts in career years, likely indicating the cost of maintaining them will go up at the end of the year. That doesn’t mean if the fit is there the Sixers wouldn’t pull the trigger, but so often in this situation, these players are one-year rentals. The same thing happened with Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli during the Sixers’ first playoff run.
The Sixers are better than they were before the deadline. Let’s look at how the lineup should breakdown.
Starters
- PG — Ben Simmons
- SG — Josh Richardson
- SF — Glenn Robinson III
- PF — Tobias Harris
- C — Joel Embiid
Bench
- 6th — Al Horford
- 7th — Alec Burks
- 8th — Matisse Thybulle
MIDDLE OF THE BENCH
END OF THE BENCH
Yes, that means Horford would be coming off the bench. Your four-year, $109 million major free agent acquisition would become your sixth man. Would Horford agree to something like this? Probably not, but quite frankly, I don’t care. It’s the only move that makes sense at this point.
Horford was meant to be the backup to Embiid and treating him as such would solve so many spacing issues. More room for Simmons to drive and more room for Embiid to post up. It could effectively solve the starting lineup issue. We’ve seen how effective Embiid is in short spurts. Allowing each of the star big men to operate independent of one another would give them the opportunity to showcase their skill set more fully. Not to mention you can play them together defensively at the end of games in the playoffs to stop the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Pascal Siakam.
In this system, Alec Burks becomes the backup point guard and, in some situations, would run next to Ben, allowing Simmons to play more off-ball. Burks has transformed himself into a scorer, but he is only effective when you put the ball in his hands. The Sixers need to do exactly that. Give Burks opportunities to run the pick-and-roll with Joel Embiid, find his shot off the dribble, and create for the people around him. Burks’ 3-point shooting ability forces opposing teams to aggressively hedge off the screen generating looks for Joel off the roll. A nice change from Embiid’s traditional pick and pop when Simmons is the ball handler.
Burks is such an asset to this team and the Sixers need to GET HIM THE BALL. His emergence as the ball handler off the bench alleviates Josh Richardson from that role, and it eliminates the need for Raul Neto altogether (something I’m rather happy about).
The addition of Burks and Robinson III is also to the benefit of the Sixers’ young trio: Korkmaz, Thybulle, and Milton. Instead of being asked to bear responsibilities outside their comfort zone, each of these players can inherit a reduced role.
Korkmaz wouldn’t have to be the sixth man. It’s a role we hope he is eventually capable of playing, but one he is clearly not ready for yet. That being said, Korkmaz has proven to be a more than capable 3-point shooter and should be encouraged to let it fly from deep. That is Korkmaz’s role. Come in and shoot 3s.
Thybulle was marketed as the best defensive player in last year’s draft. He has lived up to that expectation and should be encouraged to give most of his attention to that part of his game. He hasn’t developed fully on the offensive side of the ball, but that will almost certainly come with time. For now, Thybulle must come in and work hard and guard well.
Lastly, we have Shake Milton. A player I find myself falling more and more in love with every time he plays. His game is raw, but he plays so hard. Reminds me of a more skilled T.J. McConnell. Shake is likely to lose minutes with the recent additions and eventual return of Josh Richardson, but for the time he does get, Shake needs to keep his gritty identity. Shake needs to come in a make an impact with his effort.
Though I am optimistic that the moves at the deadline have made the Sixers better, I’m worried that it won’t matter in the long run.
Something is emotionally wrong with this team. Horford revealed the existence of a locker room issue. Embiid is complaining about touches, claiming he is trying to find his role in the offense (that’s you Embiid. You are the focal point of the offense). Simmons is staying an extra day in Miami with Kendall Jenner instead of flying back with the team after a blowout loss to the Heat. Body language looks horrible, and I want to pull my hair out every time Simmons picks up his dribble in no mans land at the foul line or jump passes to Al Horford for a contested three.
Next. 3 things Burks brings to the table. dark
This team has serious issues. They got better in terms of talent, but now they must figure it out in the locker room. I have no idea how, but I’m hoping some fresh faces can jump start the process. A process I will continue to trust.