Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons, the power forward, to debut in the bubble
The Philadelphia 76ers are ready to unleash Ben Simmons, the power forward
We are roughly two and a half weeks away from the official start of the eight seeding games in the NBA’s restart plan ahead of the playoffs, and there are many interesting sub-storylines that will headline the return of basketball. One of the biggest – now – will revolve around the new-look Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers will be returning with a bit of a wrinkle, at least that’s what it sounds like at the moment. It has been reported from Sixers’ practice that the team has been running team practices with Ben Simmons at power forward and Shake Milton at point guard.
Which is interesting for a number of reasons. The one at the top, Ben Simmons playing power forward.
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This is an interesting development and an experiment that many have been calling for. Simmons has the size and skill set to play roughly every position on the basketball floor and him playing the power forward position could make the Sixers extremely dangerous on the offensive end.
There’s probably not many, if any, power forwards in the league that would be able to keep up with or even defend Simmons. Whether Simmons would be willing to defend power forwards is a true concern, but this move could be the key to unlocking this team offensively.
During the regular season, the Sixers had the sixth-best defense in the NBA. However, offensively, they really struggled. They had just the 18th ranked offense through the regular season. Considering the amount of talent they have on the roster, that’s quite disappointing.
Simmons at the power forward position could unlock potential for Philadelphia 76ers
Moving Simmons to the power forward position would do a number of wonders for the team. The first thing that it’ll do is give the team the option to add more shooting to its starting 5. Instead of having the starting duo of Simmons and Horford in the starting 5, the Sixers will now essentially swap Shake Milton for Horford in the starting 5 (who will likely start at the point guard position, assuming the Sixers are committed to this move).
While Horford is considered a good 3-point shooter for a big, he was only shooting the 3-ball at a 34 percent clip this season. In comparison, Milton was a 45 percent shooter from deep this year. Upgrade.
The added spacing the lineup will open the lane and paint for both Simmons and Joel Embiid. Plus, let’s also not forget how well Milton was playing before the hiatus.
In the nine games before the stoppage, Milton was averaging 18 points and four assists on 57 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent shooting from 3-point range. If Milton can carry some of that magic into the bubble, perhaps the Sixers might have the formula to reignite their offense in the restart.
The move would also mean the Sixers would have one of the best sixth men in the NBA, Al Horford. Even though he hasn’t been a great fit next to Embiid, Horford is still a difference-maker and would make an even bigger impact for the team off the bench.
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The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the biggest dark horses in the Eastern Conference, almost based on their on-paper talent alone. Moving Ben Simmons to the power forward position will only add more intrigue to a team will limitless potential. Will this be the move that finally unlocks it?