September 09, 2015
Truth be told, we haven’t done one of these in a while because there isn’t very much going on basketball-wise in August. As the Sixers (and the Flyers, rookie camp starts next Monday after all) begin their preparations for the 2015-16 season, there will be more hoops writing and, therefore, more opportunities for links posts. Think of this as the “Best of August/Early September” edition.
The Sixers likely are going to be pretty bad again this year, so success will have to be measured in other ways. Perhaps the most important subplot to keep an eye on is how Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor coexist on the floor together. There is a school of thought that they will largely cover up each other’s weaknesses. There are also legitimate concerns that they will form a frontcourt better suited for the 90’s NBA rather than the modern game. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Of the two players, Noel will very likely face the larger adjustment on both ends of the court. That means chasing around power forwards on defense (which he struggled with at the end of last season) and spotting up off the ball while Okafor does his thing on the block. On paper, the major problem is that shooting from the perimeter is Noel’s greatest weakness.
In an attempt to make that weakness less weak, Noel has allegedly been working hard up in Newport, Rhode Island for a lot of the summer. A couple of weeks ago, Keith Pompey wrote a nice feature on his offseason work. Here is specifically how the 21-year-old center and his coaches are addressing his shooting form:
Noel attempts at least 500 jumpers per day with Carroll and Driscoll closely monitoring everything, from his hand placement to his feet, before his weight training and individual drills. Sixers coach Brett Brown and assistant coach/player development director Billy Lange are consulted about the drills the team wants him to perform during his stay in Newport. Brown even attended one of the workouts for a firsthand glimpse.
The work has resulted in an adjustment to his shooting form. Noel slightly moved the placement of his right hand, which he uses to shoot. But the major change came in his left, or guide, hand. In the past, Noel's left hand dominated the ball, sitting on top or on the side of it when he shot.
Noel is also trying to add more physical strength, another area of weakness but one that is less concerning to me after watching his rookie year up close. Major tweaks to a player’s shooting form can be tricky (see: Turner, Evan), so the jury is definitely still out on this one. Still, after watching the strides Noel made from the free-throw line right after completely reworking his shot, I’m genuinely curious if a consistent 15-footer is a realistic possibility for him.
SI.com's Top 100 NBA Players of 2016: Rob Mahoney and Ben Golliver
Speaking of Noel, the SI guys have him ranked 97th in the entire NBA. That is the good news. The bad news? He was sandwiched in between Donatas Motiejunas and Josh Smith (yuck):
Over the course of his rookie season, Noel evolved from an empty void of an offensive player to an occasionally helpful one. That shift was enough to let the now 21-year-old’s strengths on defense shine through to top 100 standing. Very rarely do rookies actually help their teams on defense, an area of the game where the only means of consistent success is earned acumen. Noel stands as an exception. Despite his age and inexperience, Noel averaged better than two steals and two blocks per 36 minutes while terrorizing opponents from the three-point line in. Rim protectors have no business being this quick on their feet. That Noel defies the standard allows him to reject shots with lightning-bolt fury and dart outside to repel guards as needed.
Q+A: Jerami Grant: Christopher Cason, SLAM
Maybe this is a case of incorrectly reading between the lines, but Grant seems a little more reasonable about the Sixers’ win total than, say, Tony Wroten:
“You can expect us not to quit. Even though we’re not the most talented team, at the moment, or we might be extremely talented, but just extremely young at the same time; I definitely think everyone can expect us to come out and play every last minute of all 48 hard. I think that our fans appreciate. Even though we’re not winning that many games, as they would like, every night we’re coming out and giving it our all.”
Done being the laughing stock of the NBA. We changing things around this time around. #Sixers #Seven_Six
— Tony Wroten (@TWroten_LOE) August 26, 2015
Remembering Darryl Dawkins: A showman, prankster, self-promoter: Gordie Jones, CSN Philly
Jones writes one of my favorite tributes to Chocolate Thunder, mostly because of the anecdotes:
Seems to me that’s the best way to remember Dawkins, who died Thursday at age 58, of an apparent heart attack. As a showman and a prankster and an endless self-promoter. As a guy who always left ’em laughing.
This made Dawkins, a sculpted 6-foot-11, 250-pounder, endlessly frustrating to his coaches, who believed that if only he would take the game more seriously he could deliver on his considerable potential. But it also made him one of the NBA’s all-time great characters.
Will Sixers be better than Knicks?: TrueHoop TV
Video. Despite being associated with losing more than any other team, the Sixers actually haven’t finished with the worst record in the NBA during each of the last two seasons. Tankin’ ain’t easy. Could they be better than New York for a second straight season?
Dunc’d On Basketball Podcast, Eastern Conference Off-Season Grades
If you are an NBA junkie, I can’t recommend this podcast enough. The two hosts, Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux, gave the Sixers’ offseason (and they factor in for circumstances, like what you can realistically get done at the beginning of the summer) an A and A-minus, respectively. They explain everything in great detail, as well.
The Definitive NBA Logo Rankings: Zach Lowe, Grantland
Important basketball journalism here, as the Sixers are ranked 9th. Lowe is based out of New York, so this a bold move. Nets Daily is sharpening the pitchforks already:
The small white “Philadelphia” within a blue circle, a new feature, has a throwback feel that meshes with Philly’s traditional marks. The juxtaposition of the maroon “7” and blue “6” has always worked, in part because neither shade is too loud.
And, holy cow, welcome Dribblin’ Ben Franklin into the secondary-logo universe! Who cares if there is debate about whether Franklin was actually left-handed? If Ben freaking Franklin set his mind to dribbling with his weak hand, he’d have mastered it.
1. Three new signings: What to expect from Kendall Marshall, Christian Wood, and Jean-Pierre Tokoto.
2. Stauskas and Okafor: For the Sixers’ new shooting guard to get clean looks, the new center might have to play at a pretty high level.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
