The Philadelphia 76ers have two very capable backup point guard in Raul Neto and Trey Burke, but it seems that they can’t decide on who to play every night. The Sixers started the season with Neto as the primary backup option before he gave way to Burke and then they have flip-flopped ever since.
Recently, Burke was getting the majority of the minutes as coach Brett Brown wanted to see what he had in him and he wanted to experiment with Burke and Ben Simmons lineups. However, Burke has not played in their previous two games as he gave way to Neto backing up Simmons.
In a situation like this in the past, Brown would use the word “tournament” and let players win their spot in the rotation. However, he says this is a bit different.
“I almost feel like the ‘tournament’ word isn’t true anymore,” said Brown. “There is a mindset that I have to not let somebody rot on a bench. I’m mindful of that. It’s never to the detriment of a team that they’re both very good players and they’re both very different.”
Neto is the prototypical Brown point guard as he is more conservative and he’s a pass-first guard. Burke is more of the flashy scorer and he looks for his offense before creating for others. Therefore, Brown has to use the different factors when deciding who will be the backup on a nightly basis.
“So when do I make that decision?” Brown continued. “It’s certainly based on the opponent, some of it factors into the human side, the coaching responsibility I have to keep their spirit, their game, the team afloat. So decisions are based on some of those things of who plays and who doesn’t.”
The backup point guard position has been something to behold all season as the Sixers try and nail down the rotation before the playoffs. Another thing to consider is that not only will Neto and Burke be involved, but Josh Richardson will be as well. It will be something to watch as the season continues to unfold. [lawrence-related id=23743,23733,23720]