CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers roster Nick Nurse has at his disposal in his second season as head coach has, to put it lightly, gone through some changes this offseason. They're changes he is very much excited about.
Paul George highlights the notable upgrades the Sixers made in free agency and in the draft. A veteran All-Star on the wing fits just what the team wanted, just as the team fit what George wanted. His ability to shoot will unlock a lot more freedom for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. It will still, of course, take some time for the newcomer to get familiar with his new team and vice versa.
The 76ers' new identity will be about unleashing their three-headed monster of All-Star scorers on defenses. The “1-3-5 thing,” as Nurse described the positional fit, will make it easier to acclimate George. Ahead of training camp, his ideas are mostly preliminarily.
“Joel and Tyrese are the bookends and Paul slots right in the middle of that, for sure. I think that my mindset right now, most of my ideas are going in pencil,” the 76ers head coach said. “I got some thoughts and things but I really do think that we'll experiment and try a bunch of different things. I think that what we go into training camp running schematically, both sides of the ball, will take some twists and turns and evolve to where it gets to by the late end of the year.
“I just wanna see how it looks and unfolds without trying to make it too narrow of a box that it would think that it's gonna be. I want guys to read and make the right plays,” Nurse concluded.
Among the handful of flaws this Sixers has is a lack of high-end playmakers. Philly has plenty of guys who can score in a variety of ways but none who possess a preternatural feel for setting up teammates and quickly, accurately reading defenses. Kyle Lowry is perhaps the lone exception but being so deep into his career diminishes his effectiveness. The team has other good passers but no great ones. Those are in limited supply, so acquiring one isn’t easy, but it pays off immensely in the playoffs.
George can “be a secondary point guard or obviously a primary ball-handler at times,” Nurse said. PG-13's handles are smooth and he can read the floor well when defenses show help but his tendency to throw some bad, bad passes limits how much of a primary initiator he should be. Nurse also pointed to Embiid as someone who’s eager to be more of a facilitator, mentioning his playmaking during the Team USA showcase games.
“Is that 'cause he wants to be more of a facilitator? Yes, a little bit. But he's also just making the right play,” Nurse said. “He's getting double-teamed and somebody cuts and he hits him for a layup. That's what Tyrese is gonna have to do. That's what Paul's gonna have to do. That's what Joel's gonna have to do.”
Getting to know George, Nurse said, has been an enjoyable process. George's knowledge of the game and honesty about what he wants out of his team have stood out to the 76ers head coach. Nurse's primary order of business is figuring out the fit with George but there are plenty of other newcomers to configure into game plans, too. The tweaks around the margins excite Nurse, as well.
“The PG thing was huge,” Nurse said, “but I think all of those things mattered.”
Nick Nurse sounds off on 76ers free agency
George was far from the only notable roster addition the Sixers made. The finishing touches on what Kelly Oubre Jr. dubbed a “Big 15” — but what will actually be a Big 14 given Daryl Morey's preference to leave a roster spot open — are being put in place. But the bulk of what will likely be the rotation is set until the trade market heats up in the middle of the 2024-25 season.
Caleb Martin projects to be a starter alongside the three All-Stars and Oubre. Andre Drummond is making his return to Philly to be Embiid's backup. Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson provide shooting off the bench. Along with those additions, Oubre and rookies Jared McCain and Adem Bona, the Sixers also re-signed Lowry and KJ Martin.
With one more signing to go, Nurse feels good about the holistic haul the 76ers landed this summer.
“As excited as we are about some of the things — obviously, Paul George headlining [them] — I think that a lot of the other moves were super critical. They were things that we think we needed to get done,” Nurse said. “[For] example, Drummond backing up Joel. I think everybody understands that we need a good veteran guy that's a starter, really, because if we need him to play some games [for] 40 minutes, 38 minutes or whatever it is, we got a guy that can do it and provide incredible presence around the basket.”
The translation is that Paul Reed and Mo Bamba were not good enough in the time Embiid missed. Philly's putrid record without its superstar was the factor of many things but Reed and Bamba did too poorly of a job patching it up for the team to feel good about them as the primary backup options. Reed being waived was partially the result of a cap-space crunch but nonetheless, moving on from him and Bamba and bringing in Drummond shows Philly’s desire for a more ready-made reserve behind Embiid.
Nurse praised the 76ers' “dynamic wings” in Martin and Oubre and pointed out how Ricky Council IV “just keeps getting better and better.” Although Philly seems likely to eventually add another forward to their team with either their final signing or a midseason trade, the soon-to-be-23-year-old Council will serve as important depth for a team with a handful of well-past-their-prime veterans.
Embiid and George both have their share of past injury troubles. With a 38-year-old Lowry, 35-year-old Gordon and 34-year-old Jackson coming off the bench, the Sixers will have a surefire need for young legs throughout the season. Nurse said the team will “work really closely” on optimizing the health of its veteran players, which will “absolutely” give Council and McCain chances to play.
“I think the youth, enthusiasm and energy of some of those guys — we're gonna need that,” Nurse said.
The 76ers having arguably the best trio in the NBA is nice but ultimately meaningless in a five-on-five league. In order to make it to where they want to be, their depth will have to be much more fleshed out and every player on the roster will have to stay ready to contribute.
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