July 16, 2016
At his introductory press conference on Friday, newest Sixer Dario Saric was asked what position he plays.
“My position [is] what coach says,” Saric said. “It’s a simple answer.
“But if you say my opinion, in Europe I played most of the time [at] the 4, a couple of games I played like a 3,” he continued. “I think I can help on both positions. At the 3, I can maybe post up some players or 4, I can make space in the offense for other players, play like a face-up 1-on-1.”
Because it’s the summer, there is some talk about the Sixers winning in the area of 35-40 games next season and pushing for a playoff spot. While it would be pretty surprising if they made that type of improvement with such a young nucleus, it’s clear that Brett Brown will be coaching a much more interesting team on the floor next season.
The winter months will be reserved for dissecting these offensive and defensive roles and strategies in-depth, but it’s worth noting that the Sixers’ two major summer acquisitions have something in common: They don’t have the skillset of a traditional position.
While Ben Simmons is something like a 6’10” point guard, Saric has the offensive skill (ball-handling, passing, and as of the last few years, three-point shooting) of a player shorter than 6’10”.
“The way I like to look at building a basketball team is not necessarily the 1, 2, 3, etc.,” Bryan Colangelo said. “I like to put players into categories in terms of versatility, skillset, and who they might guard. Guards, wings, and bigs. Some cross the line, some dance on the line.”
In summer league, you saw one of the ways that Simmons can utilize his unique skillset to put pressure on the opposing defense: the grab and go. Once he secures a defensive rebound, Simmons has the ability to push the ball up the floor and either find a bucket or create mismatches with the defense scrambling to match up.
Brown talked about the idea of the quick push back on draft night.
“I think Saric does this as well, you watch these guys defensive rebound and their instinct, and we will encourage it, is to just hit the deck and lead the break,” Brown said. “I think it’s one of the hardest things to defend, and one of things you want to most exploit offensively if you can find a rebound.
“[Charles] Barkley did it. He’d rebound and just take off, he’d lead the break. That’s as good a way as you can get out and run, which you know we want to do, as I know of.”
In today’s NBA, Golden State does this well. When Draymond Green grabs a defensive rebound, he’s off like a freight train. When Andre Iguodala grabs a defensive rebound, he usually isn’t giving the ball to Steph Curry either. Of course, those players defend well enough to create a lot of defensive rebounds, something Saric and Simmons will need to prove they can do.
After watching Simmons in summer league, I became even more convinced that the Sixers don’t need to prioritize finding a traditional point guard moving forward. The young Australian has an elite combination of size and court vision, which is why the Sixers can target shooters that can guard multiple positions (playmaking would also be a welcome attribute).
They already have done so to a degree in the short term, just not with elite talent. Sergio Rodriguez is more of a traditional point guard, but Jerryd Bayless and Gerald Henderson are versatile players that can play multiple positions.
It remains to be seen how the big man situation settles itself out, but adding Simmons and Saric feels like a step toward building a team that can play multiple ways.
“I think we got similar skills,” Saric said. “I think on the court, he would play 4 and I would play 3 or I would play 4 and he would play 3, or he would play point guard and I would play another position. It doesn’t matter.”
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
