Draft Night Offers Clarity to Morey and Rivers’ Vision

When Doc Rivers was hired as the new head coach of the Sixers he was asked many questions about how the team will line up on the court and how certain pieces of this team will fit together.

He defaulted to different versions of the same answer, stating that he will not know those answers until he gets the team in the practice gym.

When Daryl Morey was hired to be the Sixers’ new President of Basketball Operations he did the same. He mentioned how it was his first day on the job and he could not determine who does or does not fit into the team’s plans.

These were corporate answers. These responses were fluff to keep the media at bay and the players on the team ignorant to the rehabilitation that the front office had in mind.

Without getting the team on the court for practices, Daryl Morey managed to trade away Al Horford and Josh Richardson – two players who clearly struggled to fit in with the Sixers’ core personnel on the court.

Keeping these moves close to the vest is not deceitful by Morey or Rivers, as anyone could see that Horford and Richardson were just not going to supplement Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons properly. What it does tell us is that Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers already know the type of team that they want to put on the court.

Al Horford is an old-school post player with limited floor-spacing ability. Josh Richardson is a gritty guard who is most comfortable taking players off of the dribble and playing the mid-range game. There is a reason these players were subtracted.

As for Horford and Richardson’s exit, their minutes are being replaced by Danny Green and Seth Curry – two of the NBA’s best three-point shooters in recent years. The fit is obvious, as it is one that we’ve already seen.

Think back to the days of J.J. Redick, Robert Covington, and Marco Belinelli.

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Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid tortured defenses by attacking the lane or posting up, drawing crowds into the paint that allowed frequent open looks for the team’s snipers. By eliminating two players that do not shoot consistently high percentages from three for two players that do, it is clear this team intends to have the three-point shot as an important part of their offense.

The offensive approach is not the only area where we have gained insight, however. The one thing that Doc Rivers has maintained since taking over as the Sixers’ boss is that he believes this Sixers team will win with defense.

Danny Green is an established perimeter defender, and two of the Sixers’ draft selections further cement this philosophy.

Tyrese Maxey

At 21st overall, the Sixers were widely expected to take a shooter. Tyrell Terry of Stanford and Desmond Bane of TCU were two especially good shooters that remained on the board when the Sixers went on the clock.

The Sixers went a different route. Having already acquired Danny Green earlier in the night, and likely knowing that they had a deal in place for Seth Curry, the “New Philadelphians” selected Kentucky’s, Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is a combo guard who is known for getting to the free-throw line, being a crafty offensive scorer, and being a tenacious and willing defender. It is that last trait that is important.

Maxey is not the most efficient shooter in the draft class by a pretty fair margin, but the Sixers opted for a player who will be able to defend either guard spot in the NBA and allow the Sixers some more flexibility on the defensive end of the floor in terms of matchups.

Paul Reed

The Sixers’ final pick of the night was DePaul’s, Paul Reed. Reed, like Maxey, is viewed as a high-energy player who gets after on the defensive end. Reed averaged over 10 rebounds and two blocks per game last season for the Blue Demons. He has an NBA-ready build at 6 feet 9 inches and 220 pounds to match his tenacity as a rebounder and rim protector.

Maxey and Reed in addition to an established veteran defender like Danny Green tell us that the Sixers want to be committed on the defensive end of the floor this season.

Isaiah Joe

The Sixers’ other draft pick, Arkansas’s Isaiah Joe is another floor spacer with a picturesque shooting form and a lightning-quick release that fits the mold of a bench sniper, like Curry.

After Daryl Morey’s wheeling and dealing on Wednesday night, we have a much clearer image of what type of basketball team we can expect this season. Expect the Sixers to be extremely stingy on the defensive end and to rack up points in bunches by way of the three-ball and by getting to the free-throw line.

The Sixers’ window to contend felt like it had shut, but in one glorious night, Daryl Morey and company have conducted a herculean effort to prop that window open in what feels like a coup for the franchise.

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