CAMDEN, N.J. — In two days, the Philadelphia 76ers' defense will face one of the biggest tests any defense will see all season: trying to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo AND Damian Lillard. The Sixers open their 2023-24 season with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, which offers them an early shot at one of the heavyweights they hope they will be able to knock off in a potential playoff series.
The Bucks will surely have some kinks to work out with a brand new duo that didn’t have a full offseason to train together on top of having a new, first-time head coach. But make no mistake: Milwaukee's new star duo should be feared. An elite deep-range shooter paired with an elite slasher is nightmare fuel for defenses. With a cast of perimeter shooters providing the space for them to work, there are no easy outs to be had.
After the Sixers' Tuesday practice, head coach Nick Nurse discussed some of the broader points of emphasis when it comes to sizing up with Antetokounmpo and Lillard.
“I think that it always starts with that transition part with Giannis,” Nurse said. “I mean, if he's gonna put his head down in transition and lay it in or dunk it on you or get to the free-throw line, you're gonna be in for a long night.”
Back in his first season with the Toronto Raptors, Nurse popularized the strategy to wall up Antetokounmpo to deny him a clear path to the rim. The tactic helped his Raptors beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals on the way to a championship. The strategy is not always fool-proof — it takes a lot of effort to get into, plus the right defenders who are big enough to keep up with the Greek Freak.
Now with someone who can drain shots from 35 feet away trailing him, it won’t be as easy to stop the Bucks on the fast break. Lillard also gives them a reliable option to create scoring opportunities in the half-court.
“But, you know, Lillard gives him, obviously, a guy who stretches the floor immensely, right? Like almost nobody does it better than him with the amount of space you gotta cover guarding him,” Nurse continued. “I think it's gonna give some two-man complications to the defensive schemes as well ‘cause he is little and fast and has a great start-stop. They've got a couple guys, Giannis especially, involved in some of those two-man games. It sometimes makes it harder to switch those things ‘cause you don't want to get off some of those size matchups [in] either direction.”
The Sixers are getting used to a new defensive foundation with Nurse and new coaching staff. The good news is that Nurse should have them ready to go to new tactics if their original plan doesn’t work. Such versatility will serve Philly well as it tries to solve the NBA's latest complex puzzle.
“We'll prepare and do all the things. We always have a [plans] A, B, C to start with but see where plan A goes with and be ready for a couple of adjustments if those things aren't, aren't working out right,” Nurse said.