Given the kind of offseason the Philadelphia 76ers just had, anyone devoted to the team could be perceived as being tone-deaf if they had any more complaints about how their summer went. That being said, there is no perfect lineup in the league, and for this team, their recurring issue when it comes to securing defensive rebounds arguably remains unresolved.
Defensive rebounding has been a big weakness for the 76ers over the last few years, thanks to their perimeter-oriented personnel outside of Joel Embiid and their squadron of traditional big men. Well, the team may have added some flashy names this offseason, but none of their additions are especially known for being rebounding savants. Hence, the coaching staff will have their work cut out for them in trying to address that issue this coming season.
The 76ers still have a rebounding issue ahead of the 2026-27 season
Nick Nurse has yet to solve the rebounding puzzle in Philly. To make matters worse on that end, the front office has not really offered a concrete solution to that problem from a roster-building standpoint, either.
This past season, the 76ers ranked 26th in defensive rebounding. The year before that, they finished dead last. During the 2023-24 campaign, which was Nurse's first full year with the franchise, Philly ranked 25th in the same department. There is an abundance of data that suggests that the 76ers have to do something urgent about their defensive rebounding woes.
Jaylen Brown and LeBron James are great rebounders for their position, but having perimeter players who can secure boards is not new to the 76ers. If anything, this issue stems from some of the strategic decisions, which the coaching staff has implemented over the last few years.
Under Nick Nurse, the 76ers have deployed a more aggressive scheme on the defense-heavy on blitzing and scrambling for position. It has not necessarily turned them into a juggernaut, but one trade-off is the fact that the players often find themselves being out of position to corral boards and secure loose balls.
Losing their best defensive rebounder in Andre Drummond will also not help their cause. None of their current big men (Joel Embiid included in his current state) are known for their imposing presence on the boards, so the response to this issue cannot just be isolated on fortifying their depth at the center position. It has to be a collective answer with the coaching staff making the appropriate adjustments.
The 76ers cannot afford to be an abysmal defensive rebounding team once again. After all, securing boards is a major part of team defense. Without it, they could be wasting whatever improvement they can display in stopping the opposition's initial possessions.
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