Sorry for the delay! We’ve got answers to last week’s questions and you can drop more for this week in the comments.
Hey all. Appreciate everyone’s patience in waiting for these answers. I was dealing with a minor medical issue (I’m fine) and I’ve been playing catch-up.
We’ll also use this as the springboard for this week’s mailbag, so fire away with more questions in the comments.
Anyways, let’s get right into your questions from last week!
This is a good and big question.
Offensively, a three-guard lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes — playing next to Paul George and Joel Embiid — would work wonderfully. That’s a lot of shot-making and shot-creation ability on the floor at the same time. I can’t remember a time the Sixers could play a five-man lineup with that much multi-faceted offensive skill throughout it.
The concern would obviously be on the other end of the floor. As you pointed out, much of it would depend on Grimes’ ability at 6-foot-4 to guard up. It doesn’t sound like the Sixers are super optimistic about it — but that doesn’t mean they won’t try it. They absolutely should. When there were debates about Guerschon Yabusele during one point of the season, Nick Nurse said he had to start him and let the team figure it out. At some point, the best strategy is to get your best five players on the floor, regardless of fit and position.
One thing that I think is getting slightly discounted is Maxey and McCain want to play defense. We’ve already seen Maxey make meaningful strides defensively, something that was lost in an abysmal season. With McCain, he plays hard, is very smart and has a strong lower half. No, you can’t teach height, but if you’re playing hard and playing on a string, you can sometimes overcome physical limitations.
Another aspect of Grimes’ game is that he’s a decent rebounder for a guard. For his career, Grimes has averaged 4.5 rebounds per 36 minutes. In his time with the Sixers with regular minutes, that number jumped to 5.2 per game (including 1.0 offensive). Can he survive long stretches guarding some bigger players and hitting the glass? I’m honestly not sure, but I think the Sixers should find out for themselves.
(For the record, I don’t think the presence of Grimes or his ability to guard up affects the team’s draft strategy in the slightest. If they view V.J. Edgecombe or Tre Johnson as the best player available, they’re going to take them. Also, you know ball.)
To me, it shouldn’t affect this draft at all. If there’s a player the Sixers love in the draft they should simply take that player. It’s not likely they’ll be picking at No. 3 again soon.
Even if Embiid never plays another game, there’s too much talent throughout the rest of the roster for a full-on tank. This past season was more the team taking advantage of an opportunity to tank after being decimated by injuries. Remember, it wasn’t just Embiid and George who missed significant time. There were nights where half the roster was unavailable, even before the tanking began. A similar scenario is unlikely, especially given the team’s desired goal of getting younger and more dynamic.
If they’re comfortable with selecting a player a little further down and another team has a great offer, by all means, make the trade and get more draft capital. The players in the 3-8 range are widely considered to be in the same “tier.” If the Sixers view it similarly and another team covets a prospect at No. 3, it’s worth listening to offers — but that would likely be the case even if the team had its picks next season.
I’m probably in agreement with you for the most part, though you could make arguments for the bigs, Khaman Maluach and Derik Queen, to be in that higher tier as well.
The Nets have always seemed like the most likely trade partner. There are a few things I’d be curious about though.
One is basically the question you’re raising: would the Sixers feel comfortable picking at No. 8 if Brooklyn proposed a great trade offer? To your point, No. 8 is probably where it would get a little dicey to me. If it were me, I’m not sure I’d want to fall any lower than No. 6. That would mean one of Ace Bailey, Edgecombe, Johnson or Kon Knueppel should be available. But if the Sixers view the bigs or someone like Jeremiah Fears as a part of that tier, maybe they’d be more open to it.
From Brooklyn’s perspective, that roster sort of needs everything. The Nets have tons of picks so a trade-up makes a bit of sense, but if they also view the tiers in a similar way, maybe they’re content to let someone like Fears fall into their laps (in this writer’s humble opinion, that would be a strong partnership). Another factor could be if the Spurs wind up being open for business on draft night. Maybe Brooklyn uses its draft assets (and perhaps Cameron Johnson) to leap ahead of the Sixers and snag Dylan Harper.
First off, those Costco jawns are AMAZING. I enjoy a good hot dog as much as anyone and those are top tier. One of my favorite “dad” things is my solo trips to Costco where I get my shopping done then snag a dog and soda while my frozen items melt.
I’m not sure I can fit those guys into those specific categories, but if we’re talking about the aforementioned tier of players — Bailey, Edgecombe, Johnson, Knueppel — there are clear strengths and weaknesses there.
Bailey is the high upside swing with serious warts in his game. He’s a tough shot maker, mostly because he couldn’t create easy ones. His size and ability to shoot make him super intriguing, but his handle, court vision, and inefficiency are causes for concern. The Sixers might be uniquely set up to foster his development, but he comes with plenty of risk.
Edgecombe likely has the highest floor of anyone not named Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. He’s an explosive athlete with a NBA body and legit defensive instincts at 20 years old. He’s also a strong shooter off the catch. No question he has work to do on his handle and finishing at the rim, but he can slot right in as a 3-and-D player while polishing up the rest of his skillset.
Johnson is an elite shooter and bucket-getter. He also has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and tested extremely well at the combine. The concern is that size and athletic ability didn’t always show up at Texas when it came to finishing at the rim and defense. I think Johnson can contribute right away as a movement shooter while, like Edgecombe, the team gives him time to smooth the edges of his game.
Knueppel is another guy that just feels safe. He’s a lights-out shooter but he flashed plenty of ability to put the ball on the floor and create when he needed to scale up. The big questions for Knueppel come on the defensive end, but while he’s not the most athletic guy, he plays hard and is a smart team defender.
I haven’t been super critical of Daryl Morey because I’ve agreed with several of the moves he’s made. Even some of the ones that didn’t pan out I understood why he made them. But when he released Isaiah Joe for nothing under the guise of “creating flexibility,” that was a tough one to swallow. Still, Joe was another massive win for Morey’s scouting department. He was a second-rounder and is now getting real minutes in the NBA Finals.
I’m very curious to see what it will be like with Nick Nurse in charge of a roster that will be much younger. He gave Justin Edwards legitimate rotation minutes, even when the roster was healthy. Same with McCain, though his handling of McCain in a couple contests was odd.
Morey and Nurse have always been viewed as innovative basketball minds and it seems like they’re on the same page about a desire to get younger and more athletic. Surely they’re both watching the Finals. If you want to take something away from what the Thunder and Pacers have done from a team-building standpoint, both rosters are dynamic and filled with players with varied skills.