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The Philadelphia 76ers currently have an awkward roster as they have put together a team that is going against the current trend of going small in the NBA. Their fit on the defensive end was great as they were able to mesh on that end, but offensively, it was a struggle.
So, the team has brought in a few big names to help turn things around. Doc Rivers has come in to be the new head coach after Brett Brown was fired after seven seasons and they have also brought in Daryl Morey to be their new President of Basketball Operations.
There is a school of thought that now Morey is here, he will try and make the Sixers a smaller team as he did during his time with the Houston Rockets. However, Morey explained that Rivers will be the one who decides what style the team plays.
“How we play will be up to Doc,” Morey explained. “The best way to win in the NBA is to take your talent and figure out how to utilize them the best. It’s not to take your talent and hammer it into a particular system. It’s to try and get the most out of who you have.”
There is this idea that “Morey Ball” is just about chucking up a bunch of 3-pointers as Houston did, but he explained recently that that is not the case at all. It’s all about winning and utilizing what is on the roster. With Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, there will be a different style played rather than the one built to help James Harden and Russell Westbrook in Houston.
The challenge for Rivers now is to try and get these pieces to mesh together and make it all work. He is another guy who has had success in his career as he won a title in 2008 with the Boston Celtics and they made the Finals again in 2010.
“I think we have a loaded roster,” the coach stated. “I love a lot of the guys, I think we’re deep. We have to get in the lab though and see what we actually have and find out how we can make it work and fit. I think it will fit.”
The roster certainly needs an upgrade and Morey will do his best to try and find the right pieces around Embiid and Simmons. He will take a look at championship winners from the past and figure out where to go from there.
“Start with championship probability, figure out how our team looks compared to teams in the past that have won the championship and where do we stack up or not,” Morey finished up with.
Either way, this team’s success will come down to Rivers, Morey, and general manager Elton Brand to figure it all out. [lawrence-related id=38831,38828,38823]