The Philadelphia 76ers will not abandon Ben Simmons at point guard.
Ben Simmons has dominated the Philadelphia 76ers news cycle of late. He’s hitting 3s and playing off-ball, two major developments that will have a direct impact on the Sixers’ ability to compete for a championship. We’re finally on the verge of the long-awaited Simmons rebrand.
Even so, it’s clear Brett Brown has no illusions about Philadelphia’s rotation. While Shake Milton is a tantalizing addition to the starting five, the Sixers aren’t loaded with point guard depth. And, in the right lineups, Simmons can still do ample damage with the ball in his hands. The Sixers will not abandon the Simmons-point guard dynamic entirely.
When talking to the media on Thursday, Brett Brown mentioned a lineup combination he expects to use when the season resumes.
Brett Brown says Simmons-Furkan-Matisse-Harris-Horford was a group they looked at in practice today that he says will “definitely” be part of the rotation. So Simmons is still going to get some PG reps
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 16, 2020
This is less surprising than the initial announcement of Simmons playing “exclusively at the four” in practice. The actual positional label for Simmons doesn’t really matter — it’s more a diversification of his role in the offense, not a standard position change.
Even as the so-called power forward, Simmons will probably lead the Sixers in touches. Even when he’s listed at point guard, Simmons will probably see increased reps off-ball — whether it’s screening on the perimeter, playing peek-a-boo in the low zone (to use Brett Brown’s scrumptious verbiage), or running DHOs.
The Sixers are planning to increase the spectrum of Simmons’ offensive contributions, not the opposite.
And so, it comes as little surprise that Simmons will still see “point guard” minutes when Milton sits. Both Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz have played their best basketball next to Simmons this season, while Tobias Harris and Al Horford can both space the floor in the frontcourt.
When Simmons is surrounded by equal parts shooting and defense, those lineups tend to produce. Harris thrives most as a full-tilt power forward. Horford benefits from reps at center. For all the talk about Thybulle’s limitations, the one thing he does is shoot spot-up 3s. Simmons can deliver open looks.
This lineup makes a great deal of sense. It’s likely Milton and Embiid will be joined at the hip to some degree, and as a result, Simmons will have brief stretches each game to operate as the Sixers’ primary engine. This is a five-man group built to run the floor and exploit Simmons’ talent as an open-court playmaker — right up to Thybulle’s knack for generating turnovers and spurring fast breaks.
Simmons can push the tempo and run second-unit groups at breakneck speed. Milton can help uplift the more methodical, Embiid-centric lineups — especially late in games, when Simmons’ inclination to get out and run is of less value. Milton is geared to improve the halfcourt offense, but Simmons will still get his shine in the Sixers’ open-court superstar.