NBA Hoops

What should the Sixers’ offense look like in 2022-23?

What should the Sixers' offense look like in 2022-23?

Joel Embiid

In most cases, NBA champions will finish in the top 10 on offense. The Sixers have done that just twice in the Joel Embiid era. But the current team, carrying the highest preseason expectations of any Sixers team heading into a season in decades, has a chance to plant itself amongst the top offenses in the league. The question is, what should their offense look like?

Philadelphia’s offense figures to be simple in foundation — the core of Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris will do much of the heavy lifting.

The 4-man core helped produce 112.9 points per 100 possessions in 257 minutes in the 2022 playoffs. That was the 5th most potent 4-player group in the playoffs, minimum 250 minutes played together. The 4-man units that finished ahead of them belonged to the champion Golden State Warriors, the respective Conference Final losers, and the Phoenix Suns. 

Beyond the core, Montrezl Harrell should be tasked with setting rigid screens for ball-handlers and scoring however he pleases within 15 feet of the basket. De’Anthony Melton should be tasked with some secondary ball-handling duties in addition to his slashing and spot-up shooting. Everyone else is spacing the floor for the primary options, creating paths for off-ball cuts, and moving without the basketball.

The Harden-Embiid pick-and-roll

The core of Philadelphia’s halfcourt offense should involve getting the ball to Embiid in the post or face-up to create double-teams or take advantage of mismatches (77th percentile in points per post-up and 69th percentile in points per isolation last season).

The next priority in the food chain should be getting Harden the ball in the middle of the floor. The primary focus isn’t to create space for Harden to isolate. Rather, it’s to give him the best view of the entire floor as players move in front of him.

What matters most is the pick-and-roll chemistry between Embiid and Harden:

Normally, I would want Embiid setting much higher picks for Harden. I want the best playmaker to have space above the break to change speeds, use his dribble moves, and choose between pulling up for threes or attacking gaps. And if all else fails, he can locate the other three teammates on the floor as he pushes downhill. But in this clip, Maxey’s involvement as an off-ball screener for Harden makes this a Chicago action. Harden’s curl is going to make this play tight for spacing purposes. 

Space or not, Harden is…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Basketball Archives – The Painted Lines…