Are the New Look Sixers Real Contenders?

By Adam Neiberg

The Philadelphia 76ers look like an entirely different team this year under new president of operations Darrell Morey and new head coach Doc Rivers. They have dominated the competition and have implemented a new play style that has brought the most out of its revamped roster. But is it enough to consider the Sixers real contenders? 

Talent has never been the issue when it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers, but the scheme, personnel, and coach came under fire in the 2019-2020 season. 

The additions of Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Josh Richardson were meant to make the Sixers dominant in the NBA on both sides of the floor with what Brett Brown, the Sixers former head coach, described as “Bully Ball”.  With the newly acquired size and what seemed like decent shooting skills, they thought that they would be able to dominate on defense and score at will on offense. In reality, this created a massive log jam that disallowed any space for Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid to operate. 

Under Brett Brown’s incredibly complicated system, Simmons, Harris and Embiid were never in a position to play their style of basketball and focus on their strengths. In the playoffs of that season, they were exposed; with limited transition basketball in the playoffs, the opposing defenses were able to tighten up and due to the lack of spacing and shooting, the Sixers were not able to consistently score. 

Harris, who was an incredibly efficient scorer for the Clippers under Doc Rivers, was taken out of his role and forced to make uncomfortable decisions leading to an inefficient and unproductive season and postseason with the Sixers. 

Once Embiid was injured, the Sixers stood no chance and were swept by the Celtics in the first round, and it was obvious major changes needed to take place for this team to reach its limitless potential. 

That offseason the Sixers completely pivoted due to a disappointing end to their disappointing 2019-2020 season and postseason and subsequently brought in new front office staff, as well as an overhauled roster with new shooters and a backup rim protector in Seth Curry, Danny Green and Dwight Howard. 

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Tyrese Maxie was another addition through the draft and has shown tremendous ball skills, athleticism, and overall potential; especially after dropping 39 points on 33 shots on a healthy Denver Nuggets. 

They brought in Doc Rivers from Los Angeles to replace the incredibly over-complicated and underperforming Brett Brown offense, and implement a set of standards and accountability to get the most out of Philadelphia’s star players. 

Through the first nine games, the Sixers have one the best records in the NBA at 7-3, while executing in their new system under Doc Rivers. Although they have had some early success so far this season, there are many factors that need to work for the Sixers to sustain their success. 

The Sixers are currently top ten in the NBA in scoring, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, assists, steals and blocks, but are also second-worst in the NBA in turnovers. These are very encouraging statistics as the Sixers have improved in nearly every category, and when a new system is implemented, early turnovers can be expected as the players become comfortable in their new roles. 

Embiid has been put in a position to make plays from the low post and his dominance has required NBA defenses to double team him nearly every possession which allows for Embiid to kick the ball out to newly acquired spacers such as Danny Green and Seth Curry to find open spaces in the defense to score. 

Pick and rolls have also been a major change in this offense as the massive size of their top scorers switch on to smaller defenders and dominate around the rim. Doc Rivers has also designed the offense for Harris to thrive with pick and rolls and quick ball movement where he has played some of the best basketball of his career. Only eight games in and Harris has already earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week, which highlights how efficient and effective he has been under Rivers. 

The Sixers look like an elite NBA team right now, but to maintain this success, they need to maintain a level of consistency as they learn this new offense. 

As long as Embiid maintains his health, he is one of the most dominant big men the NBA has seen in years. However, he needs proper floor spacing so he can impose his will on opposing defenses. As we know,  Ben Simmons still cannot shoot a basketball, and although he has been effective so far, when it comes to the postseason his lack of ability to space the floor could create issues for the Sixers down the stretch which is why the additions of floor spacers could potentially outweigh Simmons negatives in the postseason. 

Doc Rivers has placed Simmons primarily on the block or in the corner to maximize his offensive skills and size and minimize his inability to space the floor for shooters and Embiid. Tobias Harris is the only star player on the Sixers that can create a shot for himself around the perimeter, and in many ways, he is the key to the Sixers’ success. 

Philadelphia lacks a closer. Someone who can handle the ball with ten seconds left on the clock and create a shot for himself to seal a win. 

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Harris needs to be that man if the Sixers want to contend as they will need a reliable perimeter scorer. As impressive as Embiid and Simmons are, they can not work on the perimeter the same way that Harris can. When it comes to the newly acquired players, they just need to play solid defense, stay healthy, and continue to spread the floor to allow Simmons and Embiid to go to work, which, although it may not seem like much, it is crucial in order for the Sixers to maintain a high level of success. 

Overall, as many have said in the years past, the Philadelphia 76ers ceiling is limitless. The raw talent in Embiid and Simmons is only matched by a few superstars in the league. With the additions of Doc Rivers and Seth Curry, Danny Green and Dwight Howard, they have gained productive veteran players that have won championships and can help guide these young stars deep into the Playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, the Sixers are no sure thing, there is a lot of basketball left and they need to grow a lot in order to play their best basketball. There are a lot of moving parts on this Sixers team that needs to continue to complement each other for them to succeed, but as long as they can play together in Doc’s new system and stay healthy, they are without a doubt serious contenders in the 2020-2021 season. 

Adam is a sports contributor for La Tonique