Coming into the season, no team had more hype around its starting five than the Philadelphia 76ers. The additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James added two star players to a lineup that made the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
Brown is coming off a first-team All-NBA season, while James remains one of the NBA’s most effective players despite being 41. The front office clearly wanted to be aggressive to improve this Sixers team, and it did.
However, one of the main concerns from the outside looking in was how the ball would be distributed across the offense. With so many star players and only one ball, that was a fair concern. Yet, everything seems to be flowing smoothly for this offense through the first five games of the season.
The 76ers have the NBA’s highest-scoring starting five this season. Their starting five of James, Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and V.J. Edgecombe are averaging 97.3 points per game.
Basketball Ground reported before Wednesday’s game that the 76ers had the top-scoring starters at 99.9. While that number has dropped a little, it is still the highest in the league.
Their offensive firepower is already among the league’s best, even though the lineup is still raw and zero chemistry.
Imagine how good Philly could be once they find their
Maxey leads the team in shots per game and averages 28.4 points. The offense will likely go through Maxey this season; however, the hot-hand approach will likely pay the most dividends.
76ers Offensive Philosophy
Despite the 76ers’ offensive success, the team has been stagnant at times. They still get caught playing too much isolation one-on-one offense, and that makes them susceptible to scoring droughts.
We saw that on Wednesday when it took them six minutes into the third quarter to score their first points of the half. It may take time for head coach Nick Nurse to find the best offensive strategy, but the players’ individual talent has carried them thus far.
One thing they could try more often is having James as the primary ball handler. While he may not be the scoring option he was once, he can still pass the ball with the best of them. James can run the pick-and-roll with Embiid, and if the Sixers put shooters in the corners, that could make their offense very dangerous.
In the last game, James had 10 assists and zero turnovers. He has seen every type of defense in the league, and nothing confuses him. Also, his IQ is second to none. It is only a matter of time until the 76ers start playing more fluidly on offense. This team has the potential to be one of the best in the NBA, and the fact that they’re just scratching the surface of what they could be is bad news for the rest of the league.
76ers’ Starting Five Living Up to the Hype