Getty Bradley Beal, Philadelphia 76ers
After an uninspiring ending to the 2021-22 NBA Season, it’s become increasingly clear that the Philadelphia 76ers need to address their offense – with a key focus on floor spacing.
James Harden isn’t the superstar bucket-getter he once was, yet he is still an exceptional playmaker that will give you 20 points and 10 assists per night. But, on a team that also boasts Joel Embiid, you need to have elite shooters spread around the perimeter, especially if a Harden/Embiid pick-and-roll is going to be your primary form of offense.
With this in mind, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes recently postulated adding a third star to the mix, specifically one that could keep defenses occupied on a possession-to-possession basis, and listed Bradley Beal as the ideal candidate to take the Sixers to the next level.
“His development as an off-ball threat alongside John Wall early in his career should prepare him for life with Harden, though Beal has never played with an attention-drawing big man like Embiid. Opponents would have to honor Harden on the ball and stay locked on Beal away from it, leaving limited resources to double Embiid inside,” Hughes wrote.
A big three of Harden, Embiid, and Beal would be a ferocious offensive weapon, striking fear into the hearts of their opponents, while it would also allow some of the Sixers’ more defensively minded role players to find a new lease of life within the team’s system.
What Does Beal Add to the Sixers?
While Beal has consistently commanded a high usage rate during his time with the Washington Wizards, he’s also had times where his role has been more off-ball, specifically when playing alongside John Wall.
According to Instat’s tracking data, Beal is primarily a pick-and-roll ball-handler, utilizing screeners 27.6% of the time throughout his career. Sure, Harden will be the primary ball-handler for the Sixers, but having an additional scorer to run pick-and-roll sets with Embiid will only serve to give Philadelphia a deeper offensive threat and keep opposing defenses honest.
Bradley Beal.
1.8 seconds.
Ice cold.
A worrying aspect when looking at Beal’s accuracy by shot location is that he’s consistently been a sub-par three-point shooter over the last four seasons, averaging around 34% from beyond the arc – and while that’s not awful, it does mean there will be times that the Sixers spacing isn’t at optimum levels.
Of course, Beal carries an enormous scoring gravity due to his ability to create his own shot, and scorer across all three levels. But, in terms of being a seamless fit on the Sixers, his shot profile and high usage rate don’t bode well for any potential fit.
Choosing a Path
While adding Beal would certainly appease a large section of the fanbase, his fit could be problematic, and would further complicate an already murky offensive hierarchy. Furthermore, Beal’s arrival would have to be preceded by Tobias Harris finding a new home, which considering his production and contract, isn’t an easy task itself.
Daryl Morey and the front office have some decisions to make, as right now, there are multiple paths the team could go down, and the only thing that is certain is that Embiid is in his prime and needs to be surrounded by the right type of role players.
Real quick regarding the Sixers off-season. “Toughness” is not a quantifiable statistic. This team needs shooting and front court depth. If toughness comes with it, fine, but it shouldn’t be the primary metric as such a metric is some phony, made up word.
A cheaper, and more logical route, would be for the Sixers to focus on adding floor spacers and three-and-d wings, which would allow Doc Rivers to lean into the Harden/Embiid duo without the worry of poor floor spacing and offensively limited rotation players hindering his gameplan.
We learned a lot during the Sixers’ second-round defeat against the Miami Heat, and now it’s time for the front office to take heed of those lessons and make the necessary moves to turn Philadelphia into a championship contender.