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3 likes and dislikes from Sixers’ preseason victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers

3 likes and dislikes from Sixers' preseason victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers

Sixers-Cavs preseason game

I wasn’t able to cover the Sixers’ preseason victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in person, which is what I would traditionally do, because I was celebrating the Jewish holiday with my family. Happy Yom Kippur to all who celebrate! Upon replay of the contest, here are 3 likes and dislikes from the game.

Like: PJ Tucker flowing into actions instead of standing statue in the corners

It’s easy to paint Tucker into the prototypical 3-and-D mold of just sitting in the corners and waiting to catch and shoot. Some of that probably has to do with his age, as people don’t typically associate “37-year-old basketball player” with “dynamic abilities”. It also probably has to do with the perception of 3-and-D role players who are unable to manufacture offense for themselves or others. If you can’t get creative with the ball, space to the corners and wait for someone to find you on the swing pass. 

But, Tucker can do a little more than cement his feet into the hardwoods by the baseline. He doesn’t stop the ball or immediately pass it to the closest ball-handler if the shot isn’t there when he catches. Rather, he showed that he can flow into new actions on Wednesday night:

It’s so simple, you wonder why other players of similar archetypes struggle to build such intuition. Plays like this one allow the offense to maintain pace and unfold so quickly that it’s difficult for defenses to key in on individual offensive limitations. Not only does Tucker do a great job of transitioning the play into a side pick-and-roll for James Harden, but he doesn’t abandon the action after setting the pick. He opens up to the basket and makes himself available to receive a pass if Harden has the window to get the ball to him. With Kevin Love and Donovan Mitchell converging on the ball-handler, Harden rewards Tucker for staying in the picture.

If Tucker wants, he can deliver a pass to the other side of the floor out of the short roll to keep both the left and right active in the play. Or if there’s no one else available for Tucker to forward the ball, he can take a floater off the short roll like the one above. When someone refers to “connective tissue” in basketball, this is the quintessential example.

Dislike: Harden being overly selective with shots

Point guards have the most responsibility on the offensive end of the floor. The job is a little easier if you’re built leaning toward…

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