It’s Time for the Sixers to Prove Themselves
By: Sedem Anyiri
Tags: Basketball, 76ers, NBA, Sports

The 76ers are coming off a very disappointing season. Touted by many to be a contender for a spot in the second or third round of the playoffs, dreams were shattered as the Celtics effortlessly swept the team in the first round. Of course, Sixers fans will be Sixers fans, and blame was quickly handed out in bunches. It was the front office’s fault, some argued — flipping the roster every single season was stunting team growth, which was why the Celtics could figure us out so quickly. Or it was Brett Brown’s fault — why did he decide to play Raul Neto instead of Alec Burks?

Whether it was a chemistry issue or just pure bad luck, the front office went for the latter view, firing Brett Brown the day after they were kicked from the playoffs. Rumors of candidates for Brown’s replacement circulated rapidly, from Villanova’s Jay Wright to the Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni, but the Sixers took in Doc Rivers as their new coach.

Rivers has since heaped praise on the Sixers roster during the preseason, swearing by Ben Simmons’ defense and handing acclaim to Shake Milton and his playmaking. On paper, this team has the potential to go deep into the playoffs, and even cause some upsets along the way.

You can find every type of player on the Sixers squad. A post-oriented big man? Just ask Joel Embiid. Sharpshooting? Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz at your service. Playmaking mastery? Ben Simmons can handle the ball and dish dimes with grace you’d expect to see from a much smaller guard. Variety is what puts the Sixers in a very useful position, with threats from all points on the floor meaning that teams can no longer concentrate all their defense on one aspect of play. The Sixers might just be the Swiss army knife of the NBA.

This powerful roster is finding new bearings around Doc Rivers’ fast-paced offense, and this style is hugely beneficial to allow Ben Simmons to do his work. Such a speedy offense allow Ben to quickly pop the ball out for a corner three from Seth Curry, or to find any of his big men for a nasty alley-oop. It may take some getting used to, but there is no doubt that once the team has fully settled into Rivers’ new offense, a dangerous combination of energy and pace will serve as the team’s cornerstone heading into the season.

We can’t forget the team’s role players either. A locked-in Furkan Korkmaz is a terrifying player to deal with, and Furk tapped into his inner shooting prowess a lot in the 2019–20 season, leading to him making 40% of his three-point attempts. Shake Milton, a notorious shooter — how could we ever forget him tying the record for most consecutive threes across three games? — adds to the team’s collection of three-point specialists with his threats from deep that teams can’t seem to keep up with.

Tyrese Maxey is the Sixer to keep your eye on for this season, however. Drafted 21st, the rookie shows maturity not often found in many rookies, and Doc Rivers loves him:

He’s good, and I’ve said that — he’s a good player. He’s gonna push for minutes because he’s a good basketball player; he knows how to play. You can’t speed him up, he’s got a plethora of shots.

Believe it or not, a good rookie can bind teams together with the energy that you just can’t find in all-veteran teams. Giving Tyrese some minutes on the court nightly can energize a tired lineup and could even be the difference between a win or loss.