The Philadelphia 76ers were searching for answers on Saturday night in Miami. The Heat once again went with a zone defense and it bothered the Sixers enough to cause coach Brett Brown to make a change as he tossed Trey Burke into the lineup instead of Al Horford late in a heartbreaking 117-116 overtime loss to Miami.
Burke was in a lineup with Ben Simmons and it yielded some positive results. Burke 11 points and had four assists along with being a plus-13 in his 22:09 of playing time and it allowed Simmons to be a roller in some pick-and-roll situations. Simmons caught a few lobs from Josh Richardson as it allowed him to play off the ball a bit.
The Burke-Simmons combination is a duo that could be used more in the future.
“I think we play off each other pretty well,” said Burke. “I think I can play the 2 out there, give J-Rich a break, and still be in the game with Ben and it gives him a break as well playing off the ball. My ability to play make and create for others and myself, I think it’s a plus with him out there so I’ll be looking forward to more of that.”
Trey Burke on playing the 2 guard next to Ben Simmons #Sixers pic.twitter.com/ALI62msEtR
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) December 29, 2019
Having Burke, Simmons, and Richardson out there offers the Sixers a lot of versatility and a lot of different ball handlers. All three of those guys can create for either themselves or for others so that’s a big part of this team’s offensive attack against zone defenses. Burke’s ability to play one-on-one and be aggressive is a nice asset off the bench.
“A lot of aggressiveness off the bench that’s huge for us,” Richardson said of Burke. “That’s what we need him to do. Don’t think too much, just play. I think he did that tonight.”
Philadelphia will have some adjustments to make as they prepare for their next opponent on Tuesday in the form of the Indiana Pacers, but more Burke-Simmons lineups could be in this team’s future. [lawrence-related id=22413,22406,22395]