Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown expects combo guard Josh Richardson to become the Sixers' primary perimeter defender this upcoming season.

Philly acquired Richardson from the Miami Heat in the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade deal. He's one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

Josh Richardson averaged 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season in Miami while shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from beyond the arc and 86.1 percent from the free-throw line.

With Richardson in the fold, the Sixers now have four elite defenders. Richardson joins Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Al Horford as the team's best defenders.

Kawhi Leonard is in the Western Conference now, so the East is wide-open. Most pundits have the Sixers and Milwaukee Bucks as the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers’ starting lineup of Simmons, Richardson, Tobias Harris, Horford and Embiid is as good as any starting five in the NBA.

The Sixers would have loved to keep Butler and JJ Redick, who signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. The franchise did a great job of acquiring Richardson, though, and getting Horford in free agency. Philly will be more versatile on offense and defense moving forward with Richardson and Horford on the team.