The Philadelphia 76ers have made a few changes to their rotation and the way they run things offensively. Coach Brett Brown has made the change to use Trey Burke as both the backup point guard and also use him as a running mate next to Ben Simmons where he can be just a scorer.
That latter part has Brown thinking of another diminutive dynamic scorer in Sixers history: Allen Iverson.
Iverson, who has a nice relationship with Burke, is obviously one of the greatest players in Sixers history and Burke will never be confused for the Hall of Famer, but they can play similar roles. Iverson was a small 2 guard next to Eric Snow during his days while he was putting up big numbers for Philadelphia and Burke can be a small 2 guard next to Simmons and use his creativity to score for himself and give the team a spark.
“Well most times you’re taking a 5-foot-10 guard and he’s a point guard,” Brown explained. “He’s not on the ball when he’s playing with Ben so when I say it, I say it more in that spirit where you have Eric Snow as the point guard and AI is just screening around scoring.”
Burke can do the same thing on this Sixers team and it can help them move forward offensively. In this example, he hands the ball off to James Ennis III, then runs to the corner and gets a return pass and drills a 3-pointer. It can be that type of play from Burke, like Iverson, who can run around and just focus on scoring.
“So with Trey when he’s playing with Ben, I want him thinking like AI, score,” Brown added. “I bring him off pick-and-rolls, we run kick aheads, we’re playing downhill, and he’s like lightning in a bottle. So the AI example that I use with Trey is mostly out of that environment where he’s at a 2 and he’s just looking to come in and create and score.”
The Sixers clearly believe in Burke as they guaranteed his contract for the rest of the 2019-20 season and they have found a role for him. This type of role is perfect for him as a guy who has a reputation for being an explosive scorer. [lawrence-related id=23036,23013,22990]