CAMDEN, NJ —The closing moments of Day 1 of 76ers training camp offered a tiny window of insight into the centripetal forces that will govern this novel group.
At the far end of the Penn Medicine Training Complex, with most other roster members departed for the day, assistant Phil Handy finished up a shooting circuit with veteran guard Anfernee Simons. Handy, a legendary player development coach, paused Simons’ shooting to walk through his mechanics.
“I just want you to go short and quick,” Handy said, using his hands and feet to demonstrate while Simons clung to every word. Ensuing shots came in rapid succession, each one seemingly quicker and smoother than the last as Handy and fellow assistant Matt Brase looked on.
The less work Simons needs to do when receiving the ball, the better. The 27-year-old will receive a profusion of catch-and-shoot opportunities in the minutes he shares the floor with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Role players like Simons will need to be even more rapid with their decision-making to maximize the gravity that comes with All-NBA talents, but it unlocks an even bigger theme.
For the 76ers to reach the lofty goals that have been set — whether externally or internally — they’ll need to be a much improved version of themselves. Not simply by the splashy summer additions, but by Nick Nurse’s tactical setup.
“I got an idea as I do with every guy with what their role should be,” Nurse told reporters on Tuesday. “And even bullet points underneath, but I want to see the group for a couple weeks before I start trying to narrow that down. I want to collaborate with each player on that. We need to clearly define roles for everybody.”
Last season was a letdown by most metrics: 26th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in true shooting, 23rd in 3-point rate, 28th in assist rate. But given the fact that nearly 80% of the 76ers’ possessions came against a set defense, solving their half-court issues seems to be a non-negotiable. It’s difficult to recall any offseason by any team in history that added two players as gifted as James and Brown from a pure mental standpoint. Mixing in their ability to process real-time defensive happenings and manufacture quality looks is arguably more important than anything else this team does this season.
“I think a lot of things will help the efficiency,” Nurse said to Yahoo Sports. “I think we’ll have a little bit better pace. Passing — I think these guys are a little bit bigger and have better vision. And obviously they can score too. That helps.”
The 76ers were near the top of the league in possessions that directly affect final outcomes of games, yet ranked just outside the bottom 10 in offensive rating in such high-leverage minutes. It’s why the totality of their offseason was critical; adding floor spacers like Simons, Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gives them the necessary release valves to punish aggressive defensive man-to-man schemes that pressure Maxey/James/Brown and also those that dare to mix in zone coverages as well.
“A couple of our metrics would [show] we did really well at generating the shots, but then the percentages — effective field goal or whatever you like — show we’re getting a lot of shots we wanted to get,” Nurse said. “So hopefully, we have a few more shot makers.”
Glancing at their new-look roster, there are a few ways to achieve some of the goals Nurse outlined.
A league-average group in pace won’t stand to see that much of a jump unless shot profiles are altered, in this case Joel Embiid’s. A whopping 35% of his shots came via self-creation, whether by post-ups or isolations. Reworking his blend to incorporate more rolls and quicker actions should help, as well as removing the wear and tear that comes with constantly backing opposing bigs down every night. Using Maxey in an off-ball role, maximizing his relocation and speed, will also aid in their overall progression.
The 76ers are the NBA’s most interesting team and with Nurse, a championship coach and mad scientist in his own right, these coming days should fortify what is shaping up to be quite the experiment.
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