Is It Time To Give Some Blue Coats Their Shot?
The Sixers started off the season fairly well, grabbing an early undefeated streak at home, as well as some big wins on the road. Despite their current 22-10 record sitting them at the 5-seed in the East, this Sixers roster seems to be problematic. The question of whether it is on the players or the coaching has been thrown around all season and is causing concerns throughout the fanbase.
Many fans and analytic specialists are concerned about stats rather than performance. If the team wins, they must make sure Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons played to their threshold, and if not, they are underperforming. If they lose, it is Brett Brown’s fault. This stigma has been floating around for a long time and it is time to look at a different solution. As we dive deeper into the season, it might be time to start considering these options.
The Sixers’ main shooters are obviously Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson, followed by the bench support from Furkan Korkmaz and Mike Scott. With Embiid and Simmons both trying to dominate in their respective ways, the shooting is still not where it needs to be. With Joel’s struggle to handle the ball, as well as his difficulty making smart plays in the clutch, it is time to add more shooters. Clearly Ben Simmons is a big problem in this category since he refuses to shoot and create as many scoring opportunities as he could. Not saying Joel and Ben are weighing the team down, but if this team wants success, they must add shooters to coexist alongside their two main dominant forces. As we take a closer look, the current 76ers bench is averaging almost 30 points a game while shooting a little over 45% from the floor. Despite the amount of talent the bench provides – including Matisse Thybulle, Scott, and Korkmaz – the Sixers front office should consider contacting the Blue Coats to add more.
The Delaware Blue Coats are the 76ers affiliated G-League team and have an exceptional amount of potential. The first target the Sixers should be interested in is Marial Shayok out of Iowa State. I have had the pleasure to watch Shayok throughout college, beginning with his time at the University of Virginia. I enjoyed watching him develop and become a big name in the college basketball universe. Although he had a breakout season with Iowa State, averaging almost 20 points per game, he is still playing for the Blue Coats in the G-League rather than in the NBA. There, he continued his dominance from his last season of college, averaging almost 25 points despite playing tougher competition. Shayok’s grit and will to score points could be a huge help to this Sixers roster.
Another player that could benefit this team greatly is the second-year gem, Zhaire Smith. Although Smith is averaging just over 13 points with the Blue Coats, his experience as well as his work ethic could boost the bench massively. All in all, if Philadelphia wants to win it all this year, they must work on their bench. To match up against Al Horford, Embiid, Harris, Richardson, and Simmons is already a nightmare for opposing teams. If Brett Brown could somehow incorporate wonderful scorers like Shayok and pure athletes like Zhaire Smith, this team could truly be something special. It is time to stop being just good. The time for greatness has commenced. This organization has more than enough talent and potential to be league champions; they just have to play this season smart and must want it more than everyone else.
Photo: via Getty Images (Mitchell Leff)
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Categorized:Sixers