Philadelphia Sixers Offseason – NJBetting Sports Talk
This week with NJ Betting Sports Talk…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Sixers!
10,9,8, 76ers!
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For Philadelphia 76ers fans, there’s a lot more concern and nerves in the air in than you’d think. The 76ers won 51 games in the regular season and were a basket or two away from making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
You’d think the mood would be far more positive. That’s not the case as some feel head coach Brett Brown should be fired, many wonder if this team can ever win a championship with Ben Simmons running the show and some question whether the team has the right chemistry.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most important things the 76ers have to work on this offseason:
1. Keep The Core Together – Especially Jimmy “Buckets” Butler
The Philadelphia Sixers enter the offseason with plenty of work to do. We’ve been saying it all year at NJBetting.com… getting Jimmy Butler signed at the end of the 2019 NBA season should be the #1 priority of this Sixers team.
The man is a gamer, he plays with a violent aggressiveness that the City of Brotherly Love adores, and hello – how clutch is this man?! In fact, I was already sold on Jimmy before the playoffs started. So the case for resigning him becomes even stronger after he was basically Philly’s MVP throughout their entire every playoff run.
Financials aside, the 76ers have to try their hardest to keep the core starting five together. We’re talking… Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and yes, even J.J. Reddick.
They’ve only been playing together for a minimal amount of time, so of course the chemistry wasn’t 100% this year. But, with an entire offseason together will bring a whole new dynamic to an already good team.
However, this starting five – regardless of who is on the bench – will be a top-four team in the Eastern Conference as long as everyone is healthy. Losing any of these three – especially without getting anything in return – will be a setback for them.
2. Get Ben Simmons A Jump Shot
Ben Simmons was Rookie of the Year last season and a NBA All-Star in his sophomore season. Even so, there’s plenty to be concerned about with the 22-year-old. His jump shot is non-existent and opponents know that.
He’s become a liability in the playoffs at times as teams leave him wide open, which we saw against Boston in the 2018 playoffs and Toronto in 2019.
NJ Betting fans love Ben, but these numbers are ugly:
- ZERO three-pointers made in NBA career, so far
- 70.6% success rate on attempts from 0-3 feet away
- 42.2% success rate on field goals from 3-10 feet away
- 25.7% success rate on field goals from 10-16 feet away
- 10.5% success rate from 16 feet to the three-point arc
OH, BROTHER!
Ben Simmons reminded us once again that he will continue to work on his jump shot with his brother during the offseason. Whether this has a positive impact, we will have to wait and see. But, Ben has worked with his brother the past two years on his jump shots and not much has changed.
“I’ve never been on a team where I’ve had to take shots. It’s always been really easy for me to get to the rim,” Ben said. “For me to get to that next level and for me to want to be great, I have to keep getting better at the little things. It’s obviously not going to be an overnight thing or a year thing where I’m at the next level, but over time with progression, I’ll get better.”
And you know what they say about the definition on insanity, right?
If the only two things the 76ers did this offseason was keep the core intact and have Simmons develop a shot, they could be the best team in the East next season.
However, if it doesn’t improve next season, the 76ers are going to have to think about whether he’s the long-term answer at the position.
3. Build Team Chemistry
Many people forget that the 76ers were put together this season. The 76ers acquired Butler in November and Harris, James Ennis and Boban Marjanovic in February, and Greg Monroe in April.
It’s understandable that not everything ran perfectly smooth. An offseason of building team chemistry, working out together and growing together will go a long way to their success in 2020.
4. Sort Out The Bench
The 76ers are going to be cash-strapped after bringing back Butler, Redick and Harris, but they still need to round out the roster.
- Ennis was a key piece but he’s expected to decline his player option and see what he can get in free agency.
- Marjanovic, Monroe, Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz and T.J. McConnell are also free agents.
- That leaves a lot of work for the front office to do to rebuild the bench.
The 76ers bench contributed just 16.5 minutes per game, which was the third-fewest in the NBA this season. They need to improve on that number significantly if they want to keep the starting five fresh for the playoffs.
That’s especially important at the center position where the 76ers need to give Joel Embiid nights off and try to limit him to around 30 minutes per game. We saw what “load management” did for Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors and the 76ers need to employ a similar strategy.
The question is… What can they afford and where will they get that help?
Rebuilding the bench and finding a quality center will go a long way in determining how far this team goes next postseason.
Also, listen up all you sports fanatics…
The show must go on with or without the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and there’s always NJ online sportsbook action, everywhere you turn… all year long.
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