With Daryl Morey bringing a lot of new faces to Philadelphia, it will be Nick Nurse’s job to fit them together.
Following another disappointing playoff exit and an offseason featuring an almost pristine cap sheet, the Philadelphia 76ers were poised for an overhaul, and we’ve certainly seen that with more than a half dozen new faces arriving. At the joint Tyrese Maxey-Paul George press conferences earlier this week, head coach Nick Nurse discussed the team’s offseason moves:
“As excited as we are about some of the things — obviously Paul George headlining — I think a lot of the other moves were super critical. There were things that we think we needed to get done. For example, Drummond backing up Joel. I think everyone understands that we needed a good veteran guy who can start. If we need him to play some games 40 minutes, 38 minutes, whatever it is, we’ve got a guy who can do it and provide incredible presence around the basket. And then I think we touched a lot of the things we needed to touch. We got a little veteran experience, a little shooting added. We certainly got some dynamic wings in Caleb and Kelly back in there, too. We’ve got Ricky back in the fold, and he just keeps getting better and better. So the PG thing is huge, but I think all those things matter.”
While Paul George certainly has garnered much of the digital ink during this free agency period, Caleb Martin is the other new addition to the starting lineup after signing a four-year deal with the Sixers. Nurse clearly loves that the team is bringing Martin aboard:
“You hear me talk a lot about versatility. I think we’ve got a lot of guys who are versatile — can play a number of positions, guard a number of positions, and just enhance our team by being versatile in general. But listen, I love Caleb. I think his competitive spirit, how hard he plays, and his athleticism are kind of what got him to where he is right now. I’m excited to see what it’s like with Caleb.”
I’ve buried the lede long enough, though, and the success of this summer’s moves will primarily be judged by how Paul George plays in a Sixers uniform. For what it’s worth, Nurse has been really encouraged by his initial conversations with George:
“It’s been really enjoyable. I think he’s one of probably a dozen guys that I’ve never really come across in coaching him or workouts in the summer or whatever. So it’s kind of a fresh start. I’m super impressed by him. He’s a good guy. Very intelligent, knows the game, thoughtful about what he wants out of his team, what he can deliver, who he wants to be and all that stuff. So I’ve been super impressed with him so far.”
One of the biggest tasks for Nurse this season will be maximizing the abilities of his three starts, both individually and collectively. He talked about the schematic approach with George, Maxey and Joel Embiid:
“I think it’s helped a lot by the 1-3-5 thing, right? Joel and Tyrese, they’re bookends, and then Paul slots right in the middle of that for sure. I think that my mindset right now is that most of my ideas are going in pencil. I’ve got some thoughts on things, but we’ll experiment and try a bunch of different things. I think what we go into training camp running on both sides of the ball will take some twists and turns and evolve to where it gets to by the end of the year. So I just kind of want to see how it looks and unfolds without making it too narrow of a box. Listen, I just want guys to read and make the right plays, right?”
He also considered what on-court dynamics might change with inserting George into what was previously Tobias Harris’ spot in the starting group:
“I’ve got to get on the floor and see it. Obviously a little different positionally, right? Paul is a little more kind of one, two, three — even four, if he has to be. He handles, brings it up the floor, runs almost a point guard position at times. He can almost be a secondary point guard, and obviously a primary ball handler at times. So that’s a little different. I think I just need to see it play out, get him on the floor and see what it looks like. You guys watch the games: Joel throws a backdoor pass yesterday in that (Team USA exhibition) game. Is that because he wants to be more of a facilitator? Yes, a little bit, but he’s also just making the right play. He’s getting double teamed, somebody cuts, and he hits them for a layup. That’s what Tyrese is going to have to do, that’s what Joel is going to have to do, that’s what Paul is going to have to do.”
Of course, with the Sixers primarily building the roster through free agency, the roster will be skew towards the older side of things. Nurse acknowledged the importance of keeping key veteran guys healthy going into playoffs:
“I think that’s certainly got to be part of the plan. I would say you could probably throw a couple of other guys in there, too. Lowry, Gordon … that’s enough. [Smiles.] But yeah, it’ll take some managing of those guys as they get older. Most of that comes in what you’re doing day-to-day — training camp, practices, travel. Medical and front office and everybody will come together closely on doing what you’ve said. I think everybody’s probably on that same page. I think we want to get to the playoffs with managing health.”
There’s also the continuity element, which Embiid has often spoken about, and Nurse will have to incorporate all these new faces starting at training camp:
“I really put a lot of stock in training camp. I think that we’ve normally come out of training camps fast. It’s really the crux of your practice time and I would expect this to be no different. We are going to be prepared to get every ounce of time used wisely to get our guys ready to go.”
Things may not work out perfectly. They rarely do in Philadelphia. But for now, everyone seems encouraged and optimistic about the team’s additions and where the roster stands as the fall draws closer.