Preview of the 2018-2019 Sixers
It's finally September, which means training camp is starting up soon, leading into preseason, and the actual beginning of the regular season. After finishing 52-30 last year, it's hard to imagine how the Sixers might perform this season. We had a really easy schedule at the end of the year, but LeBron has left the East, but Kawhi is on the Raptors, but Fultz is returning and Embiid and Simmons had their first healthy offseason, but but but. I can only make predictions, but this is what I believe the Sixers could do this upcoming season.
Starters
PG: Ben Simmons
Simmons was fantastic last season. He really did look like more Magic Johnson than LeBron. His passes are better than when LeBron first entered the league and the magic (no pun intended) it seems that he uses to get these passes off amazes me. After Embiid went down, he showed that he will be our All-Star and probably even All-NBA point guard for the future. He averaged 14.2/10.3/11.3 over the last 20 games of the season. Yes, a 6 foot 10 inch rookie point guard really did average a triple double in the last 20 games of the season, when rookies should be hitting a wall due to the season being longer than the college season (and he did not play the year before or play in March Madness). He was the obvious rookie of the year (Donovan Mitchell wasn't Donovan Mitchell until a little before All-Star break and Tatum wasn't ROTY material in the regular season, but he was tremendous in the playoffs). Many people believed he would be a bad defender in the NBA, but he proved everyone wrong. He got a couple votes for the All-Defensive team (earning 5 votes totaling 16 points). Having Embiid and Covington in the same lineup as you, it's not hard to look like a good defender, but Simmons was truly very good on defense. He seriously looked like the next coming of Magic. His passes were absolutely spectacular to watch and he was truly a leader on the floor.
We all know what Simmons needs to work on. He did not take an actual 3 all year long (only half-court heaves at the end of the quarter) and he was scared to take any kind of jumpshot. His jumpshot wasn't tremendous, but he could make one every now and then. He really does need to start shooting righty because his form is absolutely horrible and makes it look like he fades on every shot and is about to shoot righty. If he continues to work on his jumpshot and at least starts taking 3s within the next two or three years, he will definitely make an All-NBA team and maybe even become an MVP candidate alongside Embiid.
SG: JJ Redick
JJ had a career year with his first year in Philly. I'm really happy that we were able to re-sign him this offseason for $12.25 million. Last years $23 million dollar contract was well worth it. Not only did he average career highs in points (17.1), but he provided leadership that this team really needed. It was his 13th season of his career, and he has been to the playoffs many times. He provided exactly what we needed out of him and what we needed as a team overall: consistent elite 3-point shooting (42%).
JJ's in his last years, so he most likely won't improve on anything. His defense, well, wasn't great. It didn't matter too much because we have other elite defenders around him to cover him up. Hopefully nobody will exploit this like LeBron did on Marco Belinelli. Bron was consistently able to get the switch, and Marco Belinelli was already not the greatest defender while being put on a man who has supposedly 3 inches and 40 pounds (it must be more than that) over him. If teams start exposing this on JJ more consistently, it could get bad.
SF: Robert Covington
All you Cov haters can go suck a fatty. Fuck all of you who bring up the Celtics series and think he's awful. That's one series compared to another 80 some games where he EARNED his 1st Team All-Defense. He showed he has the ability to be a truly elite 3-point shooter in the beginning of the season, being around 40% and a top shooter in the league, but he's streaky and he was injured, leading to his percentage dipping. What I love about this team is that if by some magical reason Covington does not strip you on a breakaway from behind (which I will emphasize barely ever happens), then you've got Embiid ready to send the ball into the stands. The perfect example of this was Embiid's block on Goran Dragic in the playoffs. You can see Covington just barely miss the steal, but Embiid is there to get the block of the night (if not the playoffs).
Of course, Covington does have some things to work on. He's known as a pretty good shooter, but he's really streaky. He needs to become more consistent and hopefully stay around 38-39% from deep. As we all know, he is not great off the dribble. He always looks awkward putting the ball on the ground and he has trouble finishing near the rim. He looked like he improved last year, but he still has a ways to go. He had what I believed to be one of the best dunks of the year. This dunk was so slept on, and it rivals Embiid's dunk over Westbrook. Embiid even gets a tech taunting Beasley it was that embarrassing for him. He may not be the best on ball defender, as seen with how Tatum was easily able to get past him, but really his overall defense makes up for it. That doesn't mean he shouldn't look to improve on ball, but I wouldn't make a huge deal out of it. Covington will continue to be a huge factor for this team because of his 3 and D playstyle.
PF: Dario Saric
I have Dario as the starter over Markelle Fultz because at the beginning of last year he could not produce as Sixth Man and Fultz needs to be weened into the starting 5 (I would want him to start at the 2 alongisde Simmons with JJ being the Sixth Man). Dario really picked it up once he was put in as the starting power forward, eventually averaging 14.6/6.7/2.6 on 45.3/39.3/86, all improved from his rookie year. Looking at it now, he was a really good candidate for Most Improved. Look at his 3-point and free throw percentages. That's tremendous for a second year player who wasn't supposed to be a great shooter. He increased his field goal percentage by 4.2%, 3-point percentage by 8.2%, and free throw percentage by 7.8%. He has amazing chemistry with all his teammates, making it much easier for Simmons and TJ to up their assists (trust the friendship baby). Keeping Dario on the team in the long run would be very ideal.
The only thing I believe Dario needs to work on is his defense. Like many players on this team, his defense is easily covered up by the likes of Embiid, Covington, and to a point Simmons, but he still needs to up it. Being a good defender can never hurt, only help. If he puts the work in, keeps his shooting consistent, and becomes a good defender, he will be the perfect role player. If only he would come over.
C: Joel Embiid
Embiid finally had his first healthy offseason. He was able to work with Drew Hanlen (we'll see if he was able to fix Fultz's shot), and hopefully he was able to improve, although he is already an MVP caliber player. Just look at this video showing Embiid synced up with Hakeem. He's easily one of, if not the, best center in the league (with prior to ACL tear Boogie being in the conversation). KAT and Jokic can't play defense for shit and I highly doubt Boogie returns to his former self. Embiid could honestly become an all-time great and be put in the conversation with Kareem, Hakeem, Russel, and Wilt as one of the best centers to ever play the game if he continues to play this way. He's unstoppable in the post, whether it be normal post ups, up and unders, whatever you can think of, Embiid excels at it. If he's not able to make the mid-range pull up, then he'll at least get you to bite and hit him in the arm. He's easily one of the best defenders in the league. One of my favorite videos from his first preseason, was him clamping the hell out of John Wall. This shows that he's not only an elite interior defender, but he can also stop anyone out on the perimeter, even a known elite ball handler like John Wall.
If Joel Embiid wants to be the undisputed best in the league, then he needs to improve on a couple things. As of now, he is turnover prone, averaging 3.7 a game good for 6th most in the league. He has costed some games due to his inability to keep the ball and improving this part of his game is vital to become an all time great. Although Embiid was a decent shooter his first year, he really slumped as a sophomore. Shooting 30.8% from deep (a decrease of 5.9%), Embiid earned himself one of the worst 3-point percentages in the league (just barely beating out Marcus Smart by .7%). They're big things to fix, but that just shows how good he is. Even with some pretty glaring holes in his game, he's still one of the best in the league. I can't wait to see what he does this year.
2nd Unit
PG: TJ McConnell
What do I really need to say about the GOAT? We all know how wet his mid-range jumper is (rivaling even DeMar DeRozan), how he was able to absolutely murder Lonzo with one of his patented spin moves, how he is one of the best playmakers on the team, and how his defense is some of the best I've ever seen. TJ is seriously one of the most well-rounded players in the league, but he doesn't excel at anything that is seen as "important" in the league. He is a terrific passer, but he only averages 4 per game in 22 minutes. I don't think this tells the whole story about how good he is because he's always playing besides Simmons, the main ball handler, and is not able to rack up the assists. What's more telling is how he averaged 6.6 per game as the main ball-handler the year prior. The pairing of TJ and Simmons was somehow very good last year. Normally, two ball-dominant playmakers who can't shoot should not be played next to each other, but it worked. Pairing TJ and Kelle in the beginning of the season could be low risk high reward. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Both players can still do well, even if they end up not being able to complement each other on the court. If they mesh really well together, then we could have one of the scariest benches in the league.
The only thing TJ really needs to work on is his 3-point shot. Sure he shot 43.5% from deep, but that was on 0.8 attempts per game which were mostly wide open. If he can become at least a consistently decent 3-point shooter, he will be a top candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. I swear to go if we let him go in free agency this year, I'm gonna be the biggest fan of wherever he goes. I can only imagine the potential if he goes to San Antonio and is taught under Popovich.
The only thing TJ really needs to work on is his 3-point shot. Sure he shot 43.5% from deep, but that was on 0.8 attempts per game which were mostly wide open. If he can become at least a consistently decent 3-point shooter, he will be a top candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. I swear to go if we let him go in free agency this year, I'm gonna be the biggest fan of wherever he goes. I can only imagine the potential if he goes to San Antonio and is taught under Popovich.
SG: Markelle Fultz
Markelle will definitely come off the bench during the beginning of the season, but I would personally like him to be the shooting guard off the bench (this most likely won't happen though). With TJ at the point, he would be able to have a dominate passer next to him who can make it easier for him to score. Many people think TJ would have to take a reduced role, and there is a good chance he becomes the backup point guard with Zhaire most likely taking the backup two guard. Just like TJ, Markelle excels with the spin. The more obvious move he has is his patented hesi pullup jimbo. The game where he finally returned against the Nuggets was absolutely beautiful. He played pretty well, and the fans were having the time of their lives. Every time he touched the ball, he got a standing ovation. They even once again mocked the "Skol" chant, changing it to "Fultz".
With Markelle, we don't really know what he needs to improve because he might have done it already this offseason. It involves his shot mechanics, which changes a lot. He was an amazing shooter in college, so if he changed his shot, then he could have already improved his shooting. It may not have any affect on his free throw shooting (he wasn't a good free throw shooter in college averaging 64.9%, but his good shooting could mean he has potential to improve), but we can only hope. Like Drew Hanlen said, Markelle Fultz could have the chance to be an All-Star this year.
With Markelle, we don't really know what he needs to improve because he might have done it already this offseason. It involves his shot mechanics, which changes a lot. He was an amazing shooter in college, so if he changed his shot, then he could have already improved his shooting. It may not have any affect on his free throw shooting (he wasn't a good free throw shooter in college averaging 64.9%, but his good shooting could mean he has potential to improve), but we can only hope. Like Drew Hanlen said, Markelle Fultz could have the chance to be an All-Star this year.
SF: Wilson Chandler
Until Zhaire comes back (probably November or December, but knowing the Sixers he may not come back this season), Wilson Chandler is the ideal back up small forward. He'll most likely be the Sixth Man to start the season (ease in Fultz, doubt they'd make TJ Sixth Man, maybe 7th or 8th, Cov is usually the first off). Last season in Denver, he played 74 games and averaged 10/5.4/2.1 on 50.1/35.8/77.2 in 31.7 minutes per game. Those aren't fantastic numbers, but I feel like he'll do much better with this Sixers team around him. We targeted him because he's a veteran presence and a competent 3 and D player, although he doesn't particularly excel at either, he can just do each well enough. Towards the end of last year, JJ or Marco were our backup small forward, which is terrible. Neither of them have the height or defensive abilities to guard many of the small forwards today, so having Wilson Chandler's height (he's a legit small forward and can even play some 4) and defensive abilities. We literally got him for just about nothing (cash so the Nuggets would have cap room), so it's basically a steal for us to get a backup small forward we needed. I believe Wilson Chandler will be a great addition to the team this year. If he doesn't play up to snuff, we can definitely try to trade him before or around the trade deadline.
PF: Mike Muscala
This could be Jonah Bolden, but after his performance in the summer league, he's going to need to earn this spot. Moose is familiar with Pennsylvania, having been a Bucknell legend. With the Hawks last year, Muscala averaged 7.6/4.3/1.0 on 55.9/37.1/91.9. Muscala will probably take on the Ilyasova role this year minus all the charges (no one does it better than Ersan). The year before, he averaged 41.8% from deep on 1.6 attempts per game, which although looks fantastic, it's dampened by the low amount of attempts. Last year, he doubled his amount of 3s taken per game, and he still remained consistent, shooting around league average. Having a competent power forward who can stretch the floor will make it easier for our guards to get to the rim for easier baskets. Mike Muscala was a good addition (will not miss TLC, but I cried knowing Simba was gone) to make up for the loss of Ersan, whom have similar playstyles.
C: Amir Johnson
I honestly hate having Amir Johnson at the backup 5, but somehow he's the best for the spot. Moose has become more of a 4, and we don't have any other centers. He was decent towards the end of the year, but I have never liked him on our team. He's a capable defender, but by god did I hate him on the offensive end. Sure he was able to grab some offensive boards, but after every one he would put up the worst putback I've ever seen over at least 3 defenders. He's pretty good with pick and rolls, which makes it easier for our guards to penetrate or even find Amir down low. I'm not too happy with the re-signing of Amir (I would have rather had Kyle O'Quinn, but he probably wanted too much money for us), but I'm not mad about it either. He's a competent enough backup center for it to work.
Reserves
PG: Landry Shamet
I'm really excited to see what Shamet can do, but I feel like he will barely get any minutes. He shot 44.2% on 5.9 attempts per game, which could translate very well into the NBA. Not only does he have an amazing percentage, but on just about 6 attempts per game. He's putting up great numbers consistently, which is exactly what we need. That will translate into good free throw shooting, and he already averaged 82.5% from the line. He could possibly be one of the best free throw shooters on our team. Not only his shooting, but he's also able to rack up the assists, averaging 5.2 per game the year before and 4.1 throughout his college career. One thing he could improve is his finishing around the rim. Already being a deep range threat, Shamet should learn how to better get to the rim to make him a more dynamic player. Landry Shamet could be a surprise for our team this season if he's able to show what he can do in the expected little minutes he will get.
SG/SF: Zhaire Smith
Zhaire has a lot of potential when he comes back from his Jones Fracture. Brett even said he reminded him of Kawhi. I get a much better KJ McDaniels vibe (no he won't end up that bad though) because of his bounce and his defense. He has much more potential and does more than just make highlight plays ever now and then, it's just the style reminds me of him. Zhaire has hops like no other, which kind of gets me away from the Kawhi comparison. Mainly, the elite defense is what got Brett to say that (plus saying someone could become Kawhi-like would get fans ultra hype). Zhaire isn't particularly a great shooter, although he did shoot 45%, but only on 40 total attempts. With that in mind, Zhaire has the potential to be a good shooter. Just like Kawhi, he wasn't a shooter coming out of college. Kawhi was never expected to be what he currently is out of college. He was a project, and Popovich was able to squeeze every bit of potential out of him. Kawhi came out of San Diego State averaging 29.1% from deep on 2.4 attempts per game. By god I never knew it was that bad, but look at him now. We can only hope that the Jones Fracture doesn't impede on Zhaire's hops that much, but thankfully he's a gym rat constantly putting in work. I feel like Zhaire's floor is a more efficient and just all-around better KJ McDaniels and his ceiling could be around Kawhi (yes, that's pretty high, but he has huge potential. I've also just noticed how I've probably mentioned Kawhi more than Zhaire in this section).
SF: Furkan Korkmaz
POP THE KORK BABY THIS IS GOING TO BE A FUKRAN AMAZING YEAR FOR YA BOI!!! In his second year, Korkmaz will finally have a chance to show his potential as the perfect 3-point shooter off the bench. His first Summer League game this year was one for the books, scoring 40 points (fifth highest in a summer league game on 18 shots, going 8-14 from deep. The rest of the Summer League, well not so great. We can only pray that the Kork continues to be popped this year like he did in that first Summer League season. Furkan will mostly be used as a shooter, kind of similar to how we used Belinelli last year. He will be more of a spot-up shooter than Marco, but he will mainly just sit on the 3-point line looking for open looks. He's bigger than Belli, so it would be easier for him to drive and score over bigger defenders. Another improvement regarding his size is his defense. When we played the Cavs right before the end of the year, LeBron would continue getting the switch to get Belinelli on him, and because of his size (and because Belinelli already was not a great defender), LeBron easily exposed him (not just because he's LeBron though, I'm not saying Korkmaz is a LeBron stopper). With Korkmaz having a bigger body, it will atleast be easier for him to defend. Korkmaz most likely won't be as good as a shooter as Belinelli, but he can hopefully make up for some of what Marco did for this team when he came over from the Hawks last year.
PF: Jonah Bolden
After the 2017 summer league and his performance last year in the Israel league, many Sixers fans were excited for Jonah Bolden to come over (yes, a player we have will actually come over unlike Dario). He announced that he would play for the Sixers this year, I was hyped. Jonah Bolden was hyped to be the perfect bench big who could probably even start if it weren't for our two bigs being tremendous (yes Sixers fans hype everything, but still). His 2018 Summer League performance left us wondering whether he would even make the team. He didn't seem to excel at anything that much and did meh if even that. Maybe it was all the hype, but he under-performed. He was supposed to be a competent shooter, but he just couldn't hit anything. We wanted to see something out of him, but there was anything. I wouldn't particularly say he was bad, but it's not like he was good either. If he wanted to be on the roster and get playing time for us like we all expected, then he should have done something at least against all the "scrubs" playing in the Summer League (I put quotes around scrubs because most are really scrubs, but there are some who are actually good who just need to play some type of NBA basketball). I really hope to see Jonah Bolden show us who we thought he would be. Actually, us Sixers fans are crazy, so maybe a decent back-up big if not a guy we can at least trust in garbage time like Justin Anderson was last year.
PG: Jerryd Bayless
Nah fuck Bayless.
As A Team
Many people say the Sixers overachieved last year, and I agree to a point. For a team with Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, Jerryd Bayless, and TLC getting actual National Basketball Association playing time, 52 wins is incredible. As time progressed with Simmons getting more used to the game, Embiid staying healthy, and the addition of Ilyasova and Belinelli, 52 wins makes more sense. We can definitely do it again this year. Simmons and Embiid have their first healthy offseason, Fultz might have restored his shot, Zhaire is putting in the work, the addition of Moose and Wilson Chandler, etc. shows that we have a lot of reasons to be optimistic. I'm thinking around a 3rd seed again. Only teams I think realistically can be better than us are the Celtics, but I'm skeptical about the Raptors and Pacers. With the Raptors, they got rid of their franchise cornerstone in DeRozan and their backup center in Poetl. They did get Greg Monroe as a backup 5, but he looked pretty washed up with the Celtics. Also, we still have no clue how Kawhi will look. We have no clue how bad his injury was and we really just don't know anything about him. He could be the same, or he could be different, we just don't know. With the Pacers, they definitely improved. Adding Tyreke Evans and Kyle O'Quinn is a huge improvement and could be scary. We already had problems with them last year, and I'm not entirely sure we could take them again this year. I wouldn't say it's unrealistic for us to come out of the east, but it's still the Warriors' year. Next year, Klay, Draymond, KD, and Boogie are off the books. They absolutely can't bring Boogie back, but to bring back the rest would force them to pay (if I recall correctly) hundreds of millions of dollars. I could see any one of them leaving, but it all depends on so many factors. This year is probably not our year, but we'll have that trophy in our hands soon enough, trust me. My first tattoo will be when we win it all. That Phila Unite logo is too nice.
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