Welcome James Harden!

[Jailblazers7]

One thing I sincerely hope is that conclusions are not immediately drawn here and by the fan base in general based off the first few games. There is going to be a learning curve, as everyone's roles will be changing to some degree, and the rotations that Glenn & Co. experiment with and settle on might take 2-3 weeks to get everyone on the same page.

Some players are not going to be especially happy with the new lineups with regard to PT, role, and usage, so we'll see how they deal with it and what it leads to as far as moves Morey will need to make this summer. Primarily looking at Harris, who is going to need to accept being a role player and not the star he sees himself as. Not worried about Maxey, as he should get a ton of minutes between units, and will still get a lot of on-ball time.

It’s gonna be a really bumpy ride with a fan base as obsessive as the Sixers and the level of national media attention from this trade. I feel good that the team has the internal alignment to play the long game but there is going to be a surplus of overreactions to the Sixers during the next month.

[Sixerscan]

Yeah, they’ll go for 25+ like they always do. Thybulle or no Thybulle.

Jrue just torched us a week ago… with Thybulle. Perimeter defense in the NBA is way overrated.

Thybulle played 15 minutes in that game because he was playing bad. If he's playing poorly you adjust but you don't just go into a game expecting a bad defender to cover an all star. Even if they start someone else over him that should also be the approach. The big thing is they need to be flexible with that spot.

My lineups have Danny Green starting backed up by Thybulle, so not sure where the bad defender stuck on an all star narrative is coming from.

Would say he's shown himself to be mostly a help defender and not capable of staying with the top guys, but either way I don't think they see Danny as someone physically capable of playing starting minutes every night anymore.

[Sixerscan]

I think DG is fine starting playing 20 mpg max. Thybulle the other 20 and like 8 minutes for Korkmaz.

If that's the plan as long as they are actually going to stagger the minutes not sure whether it matters when those minutes come. Everything you are talking about with positives for Danny playing are also true with other lineups.

Like I dont get why spacing is important around Embiid and Harden but not, like, Harden running P&R with the backup center. Seems ever more important then if anything.

[Iverson Armband]

I think DG is fine starting playing 20 mpg max. Thybulle the other 20 and like 8 minutes for Korkmaz.

If that's the plan as long as they are actually going to stagger the minutes not sure whether it matters when those minutes come. Everything you are talking about with positives for Danny playing are also true with other lineups.

Like I dont get why spacing is important around Embiid and Harden but not, like, Harden running P&R with the backup center. Seems ever more important then if anything.

I just think it’s important to set the tone early with spacing, 3s and offensive rhythm. Try to jump out early on teams.

Thybulle throws a monkey wrench in to that. Just my opinion.

[Iverson Armband]

Like I dont get why spacing is important around Embiid and Harden but not, like, Harden running P&R with the backup center. Seems ever more important then if anything.

Of course all of it matters. I just think it’s more important to get going offensively early on, and I don’t think DG is that bad defensively, as compared to how bad Thybulle is to him offensively given their roles here.

[mjkvol]

I think individual perimeter D is definitely overrated but having a collective of perimeter defenders makes a huge difference. The Celtics are an awesome defensive team because they have a bunch of good defenders that allow them to switch and attack matchups in different ways.

Yeah, and I mean these Celtics guys you’re referring to are also two way players who can score. Even their role players aren’t offensive zeros (Smart, Horford, Prichard, G.Williams). Thybulle, not so much.

Not saying defense doesn’t matter at all (it obviously does), but people go way overboard on its importance to justify liking the players they like. There’s a reason why nobody gets paid max contracts for just being an all world perimeter defender.

One of the most frustrating things about the pre-Morey years is how it seemed to be like pulling teeth to bring in the one thing the Embiid/Simmons pairing was screaming for - shooting. You look at teams like the Celtics, where everyone can shoot to at least some degree, and many are solid two-way players, but here it was always projects and players who could do everything except shoot.

This summer should really be only about clearing the deck as much as possible and adding shooting wherever we can find it.

[Sixerscan]

Yeah I've never really bought the notion that something like that is more important at one point of the game versus another, outside of like an obvious offensive possession at the end of the game that you need to score. What's important is that Doc is dynamic with that 5th spot and is willing to make changes based on what is working on a given night, like in the Bucks game.

Ultimately we'll see how it goes, I think people are over-accounting for how much help two elite offensive players in Harden and Embiid actually need to score points at an elite rate.

[mjkvol]

Yeah I've never really bought the notion that something like that is more important at one point of the game versus another, outside of like an obvious offensive possession at the end of the game that you need to score. What's important is that Doc is dynamic with that 5th spot and is willing to make changes based on what is working on a given night, like in the Bucks game.

Ultimately we'll see how it goes, I think people are over-accounting for how much help two elite offensive players in Harden and Embiid actually need to score points at an elite rate.

That's an excellent point, and one of the reasons I see no need for this '3rd star' people are saying we should look for this summer. Surround these two with as many two way role players we can find, and there will be more than enough offense.

[Ferry Avenue]

Yeah I've never really bought the notion that something like that is more important at one point of the game versus another, outside of like an obvious offensive possession at the end of the game that you need to score. What's important is that Doc is dynamic with that 5th spot and is willing to make changes based on what is working on a given night, like in the Bucks game.

Ultimately we'll see how it goes, I think people are over-accounting for how much help two elite offensive players in Harden and Embiid actually need to score points at an elite rate.

Precisely why I compared this team to the early 2000s Lakers teams with Shaq and Kobe, in terms of the contributions of the top two talents and the rest of the roster. The next-highest scorer on the 2001 Lakers championship team was Derek Fisher at a mere 11.5 points per game.

[Ferry Avenue]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33370045/joel-embiid-says-james-harden-completely-different-see-there-ahead-star-guard-76ers-debut

[mjkvol]

One thing I sincerely hope is that conclusions are not immediately drawn here and by the fan base in general based off the first few games. There is going to be a learning curve, as everyone's roles will be changing to some degree, and the rotations that Glenn & Co. experiment with and settle on might take 2-3 weeks to get everyone on the same page.

Some players are not going to be especially happy with the new lineups with regard to PT, role, and usage, so we'll see how they deal with it and what it leads to as far as moves Morey will need to make this summer. Primarily looking at Harris, who is going to need to accept being a role player and not the star he sees himself as. Not worried about Maxey, as he should get a ton of minutes between units, and will still get a lot of on-ball time.

It’s gonna be a really bumpy ride with a fan base as obsessive as the Sixers and the level of national media attention from this trade. I feel good that the team has the internal alignment to play the long game but there is going to be a surplus of overreactions to the Sixers during the next month.

Agree, and much if not most of the potential negative reaction will be initiated by the national media, who will be frothing at the mouth at the first signs of 'trouble'. I hope the fan base is smart enough to tune them out.

Honestly, anything we get out of this season will be gravy for me as long as by the summer it is crystal clear what Morey needs to do to make this a legit title contender for the next 2-3 seasons.

[mjkvol]

Honestly, anything we get out of this season will be gravy for me as long as by the summer it is crystal clear what Morey needs to do to make this a legit title contender for the next 2-3 seasons.

I might have to rethink this one. It is staggering just how great Harden really is and how much better he makes everyone around him. This group has its flaws, but they can compete for a championship as they are. It's scary how great this could get with one more summer of Morey magic.

[76ciology]

I actually have not seen so much open shots for Biid. While I think Maxey and Thybulle benefitted a lot from Harden.

Thybulle’s role reminds me a lot of what Shawn Marion’s role back then where he’s too fast for his defender that leads to a lot of cuts and leak outs.

Watch Maxey's highlight. 0 defensive pressure

Watch on YouTube

Harden and Biid can just chill on fastbreak while letting Maxey, Thybulle and Tobi get opportunistic baskets off the break

[76ciology]

If you’re so close to being called as obsessed

Watch on YouTube

[mjkvol]

I actually have not seen so much open shots for Biid. While I think Maxey and Thybulle benefitted a lot from Harden.

Thybulle’s role reminds me a lot of what Shawn Marion’s role back then where he’s too fast for his defender that leads to a lot of cuts and leak outs.

Watch Maxey's highlight. 0 defensive pressure

Watch on YouTube

It's actually very simple - Maxey is back to playing his natural SG position where he can just attack and benefit from all the spacing without the worry of distributing and keeping everyone involved, which was clearly out of his comfort zone.

Thybulle is going to thrive in this new setup, and if he can shoot at a 36-37% clip consistently from three with a bit of volume will become the borderline all star we envisioned. He should feast on easy transition buckets and lobs off of cuts once he and Harden get synced.

[76ciology]

Dont mind the commentary but this vid did a good job on pointing out the gravity Harden creates

Watch on YouTube

[elchengue20]

Well, that looked very very promising.

Im trying to not overeact, because it was the Twolves and they were on a back to back, but that Embiid and Harden PnR looks unguardable.

Its safe to say we are probably good as any team in the league, the championship is wide open, for sure we have a legit shot.

[Ferry Avenue]

Dont mind the commentary but this vid did a good job on pointing out the gravity Harden creates

Watch on YouTube

Love the commentary. The guy is funny as **** and obviously a huge fan.

[76ciology]

Watch on YouTube

[76ciology]

Im not setting high expectation.

But I think Embiid could have scored 6 more pts and dropped 40 last game. But I also think Harden made two heavily contested 3s that may not have went in without luck.

The 6 more pts from Embiid was off Harden’s passes where he was open and he just kept pump faking because he was not used to being open. And another one was not knowing how to finish off rolling to the basket.

The thing I like about Harden is his passing is just as good. It’s like watching Steve Nash or CP3 where he understands the game and can get guys the ball precisely to give good scoring opportunities for them.

Transition offense is where I find the Harden and Embiid duo to be underrated. Because defense has to put specific defenders against them and these can lead to a lot of miscommunications. And a good example was it was during a transition possession that lead to a wide open Tobi 3 on upper left side in the first quarter.

If we played with more pace..
Biid trying to seal his man
Thybulle and Maxey trying to leakout
Tobi doing his thing (he’s quite a good transition player)
Harden’s ATG passing

It would be chaotic for the defense.