In addition to its stellar starting five, Dean Wade and Anfernie Simons appear Sixers‘ rotation lock only, Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice writes in the list analysis. Both players were added in free agency before Philadelphia traded Jaylen Brown or signed LeBron Jamesand the new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey were able to place their salaries ($9 million for Wade and $6 million for Simons) in the mid-level exception.
Aaronson expects the combination to be more valuable than Kelly Oubre Jr and Quentin Grimestwo free agents who were released to open MLE. Wade is a versatile defender and complementary piece of the offense who had plenty of experience playing alongside the All-Stars in Cleveland. Simons is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league at 38.1% for his career and will provide a spark offensively off the bench behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Aaronson notes that Coach Nick Nurse favors a nine-man rotation during the regular season and figures the other spots will be some mix Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, Dominic Barlow, Adam Bono and Ariel Hookporti. He adds that Barlow could end up being a small-ball center, but Nurse will likely give Bono and Huckporty backup minutes early in the season to see who is most effective.
First round pick Labron Filon the younger seen as “depth” along with Justin Edwards and Jabari Walker. Aaronson cautions that no one should be alarmed if Fillon doesn’t get consistent minutes right away, pointing out that he has plenty of ball-handling options on the depth chart.
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- Barlow has focused on improving his shooting form this summer, Aaronson adds a separate story. Barlow explained that the elbow injury he suffered early last season forced him to compensate with his wrist and shoulder, which eventually led to wrist discomfort. With those ailments behind him, Barlow has focused on becoming more consistent on his outside shooting, especially from the corners. “Right now, just looking at our staff, the guys that are working and filling those spots, I think getting that shot is the most important thing.” he said. “And if I’m taking other shots, that’s definitely a plus. But if I can separate the floor from the corners, I think it’s going to give our team a whole different look with all the other things I’m doing.”
- Edwards is among the players most affected by offseason additions, Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) in the mailbag column. The 22-year-old forward played in 64 games last season and started 12, but doesn’t appear to have regular minutes for him on the new roster.
- ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill says the Sixers’ stars will need to continue through the regular season to give themselves a realistic shot at a title. offseason recap / early season preview. Age of James and Joel EmbiidThe injury histories of both could hinder that, and neither player is expected to be used often in matchups. Goodwill notes that James’ teams tend to perform better in their second year together, but the Sixers may have an urgent need to win right away.