The Philadelphia 76ers went 39-26 before the season was suspended due to COVID-19 behind the play of All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers were in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Supporters of the Sixers had no idea what to make of their team in 2019-20. The 76ers played like an elite team at home, registering a 29-2 record at Wells Fargo Center.
However, the Sixers were 10-24 on the road. They looked like two different teams when they were playing at home compared to on the road.
No one knows why this was the case. After all, the 76ers had one of the most talented starting lineups to begin the season in Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Embiid. Most pundits had the Sixers sitting in one of the top three spots in the East considering their starting five looked good on paper.
However, Horford turned out to be a poor fit alongside Simmons and Embiid. The Sixers had ZERO floor spacing when Horford, Embiid, and Simmons shared the floor. Horford wound up coming off the bench before the season was suspended. He also got booed at home games quite often.
Al put up 12.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for the Sixers this season. He's owed $27 million in 2020-21.
The Sixers have to trade Horford this offseason to create cap space to sign more shooters around Embiid and Simmons. Instead of trading either Simmons or Embiid, the 76ers need to put the right pieces around them.
When Simmons puts his head down and drives to the basket, he usually collapses the defense and draws multiple defenders. The 76ers need more sharpshooters on the outside for Simmons to kick it out to after he gets deep in the lane.
Moreover, when Embiid gets double teamed in the post — and that happens all the time since he’s one of the best centers in the NBA — the Sixers don’t take advantage of it. The team ranked 19th in the NBA in 3-pointers made with 742 before COVID-19. That’s far too low of a number for a Sixers team that has three explosive scorers in Embiid, Simmons, and Harris.
To fix this issue, the Sixers would be wise to sign Washington Wizards unrestricted free agent Davis Bertans. He established himself as arguably the best stretch-four 3-point shooter in the NBA this season. The 27-year-old averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 85.2 percent from the free-throw line.
The Sixers missed J.J. Redick this season. The sharpshooter left the team in free agency last summer to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans. With no shooters to kick it out to, how is Embiid supposed to dominate in the paint if he’s getting doubled team at every turn and there’s no space for him to operate? Simmons has no resemblance of a jump shot and Harris and Horford aren’t consistent enough shooters to warrant consistent attention on the perimeter.
If Bertans was on the Sixers, opposing teams wouldn't be able to come off him to double Embiid in the post since the Latvian has proven to be deadly from 3. With the Wizards this season in 54 games, Bertans made 200 shots from beyond the arc. He was seventh in the NBA in 3-point field goals.
The Sixers would be impossible to defend with a lineup of Simmons, Richardson, Harris, Bertans, and Embiid. Simmons would be able to drive to the basket on Bertans' side of the floor and easily get to the basket since he's an elite driver and Bertans' defender can't leave Davis open.
Also, Embiid would finally get single coverage down low since Bertans is never going to be left open on the perimeter.
