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CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers pushed the pace in their first preseason game. Even though Joel Embiid and Paul George were inactive and Tyrese Maxey played just the first quarter, it was a glimpse into what this Sixers roster will look like. One of their season-long projects will be to put their opponents on their heels more frequently than they get put on theirs.
The Sixers demolished the NBL's New Zealand Breakers 139-84 in their preseason opener. The revamped roster made the most of its first opportunity together and kept its mistakes to a minimum, a job made easier by its inferior competition. Nonetheless, Nick Nurse liked what he saw.
“I was just happy that we got out and got after 'em defensively,” the 76ers head coach said after the game. “We're trying to build those things with ball pressure and deflections and create turnovers. And we work on some pace this year a lot more than we have in the past at throw-aheads and getting the ball up the floor. Did some of that pretty good.”
In the first half of the Sixers' win over the Breakers, they scored 14 points on fast breaks and played with a pace of 103.0, which would have challenged for first place last season. Philly probably won’t be up there with the likes of the Indiana Pacers and other young teams who treat possessions like games of hot potato. But they also don’t want to be too leisurely in their pursuit of points.
What does success in finding the right pace look like for Nurse? Does he want the 76ers to rank highly among the rest of the NBA, reach a certain number or simply improve from last season?
“The last thing, for sure. We want to be better than last year,” he said. “I think the personnel dictates us to be faster this year. I think we got more wings that can get out — and you saw a little bit of it last night, just throw-aheads to guys that are in the open floor that can attack and at least hit the paint, if not create some offense, not necessarily a shot. Just in general, I'd like Tyrese to play faster in the open floor. Obviously, we see his speed and I'd like to utilize some of that a little bit more.”
76ers prioritizing pace heading into 2024-24 season
Last season, before Embiid went down with a meniscus injury that cost him two months, the 76ers ranked 14th in the NBA in pace. That was a substantial upgrade over previous years, though that only highlights how slow they were previously. Nurse emphasized a need to play with more pace when the Sixers scuffled following Embiid's injury. With a new and improved roster, Nurse wants to ensure a higher tempo has more staying power.
Embiid himself is not someone who will do a lot of the pace pushing but he can — and should — provide the kindling for the 76ers' fiery fast breaks. By ending defensive possessions with rebounds and looking to get the ball ahead quickly, he can put his faster teammates in a position to charge ahead.
Maxey, as Nurse mentioned, is the ultimate speed racer. He's a fast break unto himself, one of the fastest players in the league and showing improvement as a shooter and finisher. With a mix of high-level athletes and skilled shooters around him, the Sixers should always be able to find a good shot when Maxey pushes the pace.
Eric Gordon not only sees how he and Maxey can mutually benefit each other in getting good looks but also the importance of playing fast.
Gordon said that the 76ers must “be a really good defensive rebounding team and once you get it, you just gotta go. You gotta have an unselfish mentality as you're coming down and always try to hit the open man and get the ball down the floor. We could be a scary team as long as we continue to move and try to make the right plays all the time.”
Nurse said that the Sixers worked on rebounding often during training camp, doing three drills per day and ending them with an outlet pass or a dribble past halfcourt. The message instilled in those drills is that the act of finishing defensive possessions is a means to an end, the start of an offensive possession, which decreases in value in a short time span. The earlier a shot comes in the shot clock, the better chance it is of being an open one.
When asked about the Sixers’ rebounding and how it helps their emphasis on pace, Nick Nurse said they did 3 rebounding drills per day during training camp. Said he liked how the Sixers did in that area vs the Breakers pic.twitter.com/tD1HKiH4OR
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) October 8, 2024
Ricky Council IV could be one of the 76ers' main grab-and-go threats. Nurse said after the preseason game that making the second-year wing more of a “fly-in” rebounder is critical.
“I just feel like once we rebound and go, the sky's the limit for us,” Council said. “We have a lot of athletic wings, a lot of people that can push the ball. My focus last night was just to rebound, either kick ahead or bring it down myself. I felt like I did it a lot last night.”
Like Council, Caleb Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. have the athleticism to be dangerous glass crashers and be a threat in the open floor. Embiid won’t want to put too many miles on his legs but even he can take the ball up and make a play for a teammate. Defenses will surely close in on the big man if he has a runway to the hoop. Sharpshooters like Gordon, George and Jared McCain — and Maxey when he doesn’t have the ball — can stress defenses into pick-your-poison situations.
The 76ers are likely to rest Embiid and George more throughout the preseason but they can still plant the seeds for a fast-paced attack. Once the light from those two stars is added to the mix, a spectacular offense should bloom.
