Offense
Moving into our second category we will be breaking down each team, to determine who will be better on the offensive end of the floor heading into next season.
Last season the Bucks had one the leagues best offenses, finishing the season with an offensive rating of 114, which was the fourth-best in the NBA. The Bucks were also one the leagues deadliest 3-point shooting teams ranking second in 3-pointers made.
The majority of the Bucks improvement on offense can be attributed to coach Mike Budenholzer’s system which involves surrounding Giannis with shooters and utilizing his ability to collapse the defense to kick it out to open shooters.
Therefore, the Bucks clearly operate best when they can place as many shooters as they can around Giannis. Which makes their offseason additions in Kyle Korver, and Wesley Matthews very good fits in their already solid offensive system.
As for the Sixers, last season, they finished the year with an offensive rating of 112 which was the eighth-best in the NBA. Unlike the Bucks, the Sixers offense was designed around the low post abilities of Joel Embiid, the mid-range prowess of Jimmy Butler, and the slashing ability of Ben Simmons.
Head coach Brett Brown really did a good job balancing the strengths of each of his star players to create an offense that may not be aesthetically pleasing but really effective at producing points
However, in an NBA where shooting is a must-have, the Sixers offense was simply too easy to slow down especially in high-pressure situations like the playoffs. As a team, the Sixers were 19th in the NBA in 3-pointers made, which is not a recipe for success. Not to mention the Sixers also lost their best 3-point shooter in J.J Reddick this offseason, who was a big help when the offense started to stagnate with his catch and shoot ability.
Heading into this offseason the Sixers really didn’t make any moves to fix their shooting issues, in fact, most of their acquisitions this offseason were players who aren’t shooters at all. This brings up a lot of concerns as Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid operate best when the floor is spaced.
However, Brett Brown can still produce a solid offensive system by utilizing Al Horford’s playmaking ability to create open opportunities for Embiid, Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson. Also, they still have the great low post skills of Embiid and the slashing of Simmons, so there is still a chance the Sixers can create an effective offensive scheme.
Overall, looking at both these teams projected offenses next season it is clear that the Sixers have far too many questions to answer which means the Bucks will clearly be the better offensive team right from the start of the season. Therefore, the Bucks are clearly the better offensive team at this time, which means the point for this round will go to the Bucks.
Sixers – 1 vs. Bucks – 1