There has not been any live basketball since March 11 when the Philadelphia 76ers last took on the Detroit Pistons at home before the league suspended operations to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. So, now is the time for conversation and debates!
Ky Carlin, the editor of Sixers Wire, teamed up with the editors of our sister sites, Celtics Wire and Nets Wire, to debate some topics on the Atlantic division and have a roundtable discussion. Celtics Wire’s Justin Quinn and Nets Wire’s Nick Friar join the discussion to give their opinions on a subject that has been one of the more discussed topics surrounding the Sixers: should the team break up the Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons duo?
For our debates on the Celtics and the Nets, check them out here as we debated whether Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving should return for Brooklyn whenever the playoffs due resume. For the Celtics, we debated how far Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can take Boston.
Should the Sixers break up Simmons and Embiid?
Carlin (Sixers Wire): No. Not at all. Everybody wants to point out Simmons and Embiid’s flaws, but nobody wants to discuss their success in the past. The two of them had an offensive rating of 113.3 in the 2017-18 season, it was 112.8 in 2018-19, and it then dropped to 104.7 in 2019-20. Gee, I wonder why it dropped so badly?
The duo has its flaws, but Elton Brand deserves some criticism for putting a lot of faith in Al Horford and Josh Richardson to replace what JJ Redick and Jimmy Butler brought to them. If the Sixers had some legitimate shooters around the duo, then all of this nonsensical talk of breaking up 2 of the top 15 players in the game would not even be brought up.
Quinn (Celtics Wire): Again, context matters here. Like Boston, it comes down to the supporting players; these two are hard to build around together, but not impossible. Can the 76ers surround this duo with three other starters who can shoot at high volume? If so, I think it warrants at least another season. If not, I’d see what offers were out there for both.
Simmons and Embiid haven’t had the best health records, especially the former, so a more durable star who isn’t as hard to pair with other players might make Simmons the obvious choice, but there are still enough questions about Embiid’s ceiling and long-term health that all options should be open at that point. However, if I were the team’s owner, I’d be looking to replace the intellectual author of the current roster — Elton Brand — before dealing any players.
Friar (Nets Wire): Honestly, I’ve never understood this idea. No matter what anyone says, Embiid is a force in the paint, and as much as I’m among those who are quick to criticize Simmons, I wouldn’t move him either.
If Philly can’t figure out how to maximize their talent, then you have to look at two things: the coach and the guys surrounding Simmons and Embiid. Ultimately, Brett Brown is in charge of developing a system that gets the maximum production out of Simmons and Embiid. From there, everyone else should be able to figure out their roles and fall in line.
There’s no question the Sixers made some bad investments last offseason, but I’m still looking at the head coach first in this scenario. [lawrence-related id=32332,32325,32317]