Three days into Philadelphia’s training camp, Nick Nurse decided his team was ready to try something new: Offense. For two days the 76ers coach had devoted hours-long practices, hard practices, to forging a defensive identity. On Thursday, Nurse deemed it time to focus on the other end of the floor.
Said Nurse, “There's a lot of pieces to move around.”
Indeed. As the buzz from media day fades like the sound of LeBron James’s departing helicopter, one question remains: How is all this going to work? The Sixers have assembled one hell of a fantasy roster. All-Stars, MVPs, MVP candidates and arguably the greatest player of all-time. Talent, though, wins press conferences. It doesn’t always win games.
The 76ers seem to get that. Nurse isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel. He wants the team to play fast. To attack the paint. To exploit mismatches. He wants to feed the hot hand and go at opposing defenders in foul trouble.
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“Having two big wings that can both kind of post mismatches will create a lot of interesting things,” said Nurse. “And you see that already. You can just move those pieces around a lot.”
Transition will be a big part of Philadelphia’s offensive success. The Sixers are loaded with “grab and go” guys, said Nurse. James, Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe. Players with the size and athleticism to pull the ball of the glass and the speed and playmaking abilities to start the break themselves.
Sounds simple. Only it isn’t. History, recent history, is filled with examples of superteams gone wrong. The ’98-99 Rockets. The ’03-04 Lakers. The ’12-13 Lakers. In 2013, a certain Sports Illustrated writer wrote a cover story about the revamped Brooklyn Nets. The headline: Who wants a piece of them? Turns out, everyone did.
Roles need to be defined. Sacrifices need to be made. The teams’ stars, said Jaylen Brown, need to be “on the same page, identifying what our jobs are, what our roles are, and that we can hold each other accountable to.”
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“What's the foundation?” asked Brown. “What's our core values? What are we not giving up? Little stuff like that is what we're just establishing the foundation here at training camp.”
In Boston, Brown was an unquestioned leader. In Philadelphia, he is still feeling that role out. Tyrese Maxey has been the most vocal early. “He's gone out of his way to make sure that I feel comfortable in the system,” Brown said. He appreciates the Sixers’ young players coming to him with questions. “I was a guy that was always asking questions,” said Brown. He said he wants to be an “echo” for Nurse on the floor, while managing all the external pressures off it.
“How I manage … expectations is just through work,” said Brown. “Being the last guy to leave the gym, getting up extra shots, getting up extra reps just to make sure I'm thinking and seeing through everything, asking questions, not being afraid to ask questions, but just staying calm, cool, and collected.
“Things may happen. We might have adversity like everybody else, but it's a long journey. Injuries or things don't go according to plan right away. It's okay. So just don't panic. How you respond is everything. I've gained a lot of wisdom being in this league for a long time and I plan on gaining even more from this group that we have.”
James has been clear: His role is whatever the team needs. “The luxury of my game is that I can do everything,” James said. “Literally, I can do everything.” James has been vocal in practices, Nurse said. He’s stopping plays, pointing out angles. Entering camp, the expectation is that James would assume more of a playmaking role with Philadelphia. Early on, that’s how Nurse sees it, too.
“I consider him a great offense creator,” said Nurse. “I don't necessarily mean scorer, I just mean creator and a table setter and all that kind of stuff. And I think that's where I could see, if it isn't bringing it up it's probably going to be first pass anyway to the wing. And then we get into our actions and he's kind of seeing what's there and he's creating offense for others.”
In the half court, there are areas of overlap. The mid-post, for example. James, Brown and Joel Embiid all thrive there. There will be some clunky moments while the team figures out how to maximize spacing.
“I think we're still kind of figuring that out,” said Brown. “I think I am. When to go, when not to go, when the floor, when big fella [Embiid] is going down the post or when I can put some pressure on the rim. Just trying to find that balance. We're only three days in, so it may take a little bit of time, but I'm looking forward to the journey.”
On Monday, James emphasized the importance of Embiid. Of keeping him healthy, certainly. But also keeping him involved on the floor. James has played with some elite bigs. Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis, just to name a few. Brown has played with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. Neither have played with a big like Embiid, who is at his most dangerous in the paint.
Embiid has played less than 40 games in three consecutive seasons. But he looks slimmed down at the start of training camp. He was a full participant in the first three days of camp and told ESPN he is in a good spot, physically and mentally. He said he spoke with a therapist in the offseason and is motivated by James’s public statements about wanting to play with him.
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“He looks amazing,” gushed Maxey. “He looks happy. When you're healthy and you're happy and you're at peace with your life and basketball, that's when you're at your best. He's been great.”
Everyone is. This is the fun part of the NBA calendar. When hope springs eternal. When James and Brown will seamlessly transition from rivals to teammates, when Embiid’s body looks ready for a 70-game season, when Maxey will find ways to continue his ascent and Edgecombe won’t have the influx of high-usage-rate stars slow his. The potential is there in Philly, obviously. They just have to find ways to make it work.
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