Is Positionless Basketball Hurting the 76ers?
The best part of sports is the actual, live game.
The second best part is the debates after the game takes place.
It’s a sport in itself to go back and forth about the team’s issues like we’re in a boardroom sitting on top of the arena. The other day at the Whole Foods on the parkway, I overheard one of the most valid arguments for the Sixers I’ve heard in a while.
Two gentlemen, who looked like Banana Republic mannequins that walked right out of the store, were going back and forth about what’s wrong with the Sixers. Sidebar: when I say what’s wrong, they fell five points short to the Raptors after a 4 game winning streak…so definitely time to hit the panic button. Then one guy said a statement like that “I don’t that you broke your elbow” kid: “the ‘6ers just have too many guys that do the same thing”. And as pointless as the rest of the argument seemed, I think everyone who watches them could agree.
The starting line-up, for example, has five guys that are within 6 inches of one another, all of which who can handle, are capable-good three-point shooters (Ben Simmons is 50% on the season, just saying) and are known for being in some form or another, players that lean in to physicality.
Go to the first two guys off the bench, Korkmaz and Ennis III, and you got a lot of the same thing. The 76ers also have the second-best defensive line-up in the NBA, finishing up closely behind the LA Clippers.
Who’s the dead-eye shooter, who’s the true point guard, who’s taking the last shot? These types of questions are the kind this argument stands on and if we’re being honest, it’s valid.
Too many options equal to none. But, I don’t think they have to blow the team up and restart The Process. I think the answer simply lies in two words: role definition.
Now I can imagine by now you’ve had the thought “but the Warriors did it with a bunch of guards” and I kind of agree. I say kind of because although The Warriors had guys who could play multiple positions, their spots on the floor rarely overlapped. When you look at the ‘6ers, you see a group of guys who play their best ball between the free-throw line extended and the basement, and that’s ok. What’s not ok is the lack of clarity on who’s doing what, and when.
Who’s setting up most of the plays; who’s the go-to iso player; who’s taking the last shot?
The truth is, The Process is not over. We’re in the last days of it, but this is the part where Brett Brown has to trim the fat and explain who does what, when and why.
With all that said, it’s still not time to panic. We’ve been trusting for about 6 years now, what’re a few more months?
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Categorized:Sixers