The Philadelphia 76ers have taken a bold approach to recovering from a disastrous 2023-24 season. After playing 41 games without Paul George and 63 sans Joel Embiid, the 76ers are combining the internal progress made in their absence with the hope that they can return to their All-NBA levels.
In the process, the 76ers have embraced a bold approach by trusting an old school approach to resolve their new school problems.
Philadelphia has gone all-in on the backcourt of the future with productive 24-year-old scorer and playmaker Tyrese Maxey and well-rounded 20-year-old rookie VJ Edgecombe. That's far from a controversial approach, as Edgecombe looks the part of a two-way wing and Maxey is a well-rounded offensive threat.
Countless teams have attempted to entrust the offense to creative guards in recent years, however, and a vast majority have fallen short of expectations due to the absence of defense.
Philadelphia has embraced the need for balance, however, with a potential defensive ace in Edgecombe working wonderfully alongside Maxey. That's set the stage for experimental lineups to take shape and the untapped potential of a unique 76ers side to be explored.
With George sidelined, the 76ers have gone with a number of two-big lineups that scoff at conventional wisdom and embrace the value of traditional ideology.
76ers proving two high-usage guards and two bigs can succeed
Philadelphia entered the regular season facing questions about how the quartet of Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, Andre Drummond, and Jarace Walker would factor into the rotation. All four project to be able to offer value at the 4 or 5 spots, but uncertainty persisted over how that may manifest.
Thus far, the 76ers have experienced success in utilizing all four big men in relatively significant roles as they complement and relieve Embiid.
Barlow is a versatile player who fits the modern definition of a 4, thus enabling him to succeed early in a well-rounded role. He posted 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five offensive boards, and a block in the opener, thus revealing how dynamic he can be with the ball in his hands.
Equal in importance is the fact that Barlow's production reflected a definitive strength of the current quartet: Crashing the offensive glass.
Philadelphia's four supporting bigs have combined for 16 offensive rebounds through two games. That breaks down as six each for Barlow and Drummond, three for Walker, and one for Bona—the type of well-rounded creation of second chances that could come to define the 76ers' supporting cast.
With Embiid and George fighting to overcome injuries, it's the backup bigs who are dominating the glass and empowering the backcourt to take chances on offense.
The results have been profound. Maxey has 68 points and 15 assists in two games, and Edgecombe has tallied 49 and 11. Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr., meanwhile, have factored in at the 3-spot and are coming off of a game in which they combined for 45 points.
It's an imperfect system given how drastically it may change once George is healthy and Embiid is off of a minutes restriction, but the 76ers are trusting a traditional backcourt and old school interior pairings to pace their way through a challenging season.
It may be unorthodox based on modern standards, but the 76ers are daring teams to prove it doesn't work.