Philadelphia 76ers: How To Maximize Filled Frontcourt

By George Kondoleon | Jul 26, 2016

Jul 12, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) directs teammates during an NBA Summer League game against the Golden State Warriors at Thomas & Mack Center. Golden State won the game 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Logjam, logjam, logjam. It’s a term that has plagued the ears of the Philadelphia 76ers since Jahlil Okafor was drafted 3rd in 2015.

The problem was overlooked last season by Philadelphia 76ers fans as highly anticipated rookie Joel Embiid missed his second straight season, and there was a belief that Okafor and Nerlens Noel could coexist on the court.

Since then, Okafor and Noel have proven to be a mispairing, Embiid is set to return, and the Philadelphia 76ers have added frontcourt rookies in Ben Simmons and Dario Saric. The initial idea was to shop one of Okafor or Noel. Talks of trades have wavered since the draft, and as of now, it looks like the Philadelphia 76ers will be stuck dealing with the logjam for at least the beginning of the season.

If Okafor or Noel can’t be traded anytime soon, the team will have to maximize the way they handle this frontcourt issue. Many ponder who will “start” or play the majority of the time next to Ben Simmons, but Brett Brown will most likely be given the freedom to experiment with different lineups. The best way to maximize the frontcourt is to rotate the way the big men will play with each other.

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“Starting” for these big men won’t be as important as how many minutes each player gets. Embiid will most likely be eased into the season after injury, so big minutes for him may not be realistic to start the season. Ben Simmons will be taking the point forward role at the four, Robert Covington at small forward, with Gerald Henderson and Jerryd Bayless most likely taking the guard spots to start the season for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jahlil Okafor in this lineup would maximize the Philadelphia 76ers way of rotating. Ben Simmons’ passing with Okafor’s ability to score in the paint make for a dream offensive lineup, but there are glaring concerns with two poor defenders down low.

Henderson and Covington will take away some of the defensive issues on the wing, but not enough to mask the issues with Okafor and Simmons. Okafor’s passing down low also gives Covington and Bayless better looks along the perimeter, making the lineup versatile. Defending will be an issue, but the team will struggle to win games either way.

Playing Okafor in this lineup also allows Noel to join a fast paced lineup of Dario Saric and guard Sergio Rodriguez. This lineup will be giving the opposing team many more possessions than the last lineup mentioned, but this one would have slightly more defensive prowess. Inserting Embiid into either one of these lineups will only affect both lineups positively.

After the two unit rotations, staggering will be key. Staggering the minutes to allow Noel and Simmons to play together is key, but staggering the rotation to give the team a main source of offense without Simmons on the court is even more important, which is where Okafor comes in.

Simmons scoring is a non-factor, but he’ll be the main source of offense with his passing by making the offense flow easier for others. Okafor, on the other hand, will give the team some scoring while Simmons is on the bench. Rotation of Joel Embiid will be tough to gauge to begin the season, as it’s impossible to know what kind of production he’ll give in the beginning of the season.

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Noel in a lineup with Saric and Rodriguez gives the team ultimate pace, while Okafor will give Simmons an easy target down low. Pace, rotation, staggering minutes, and going with the hot hand are all going to be important in maximizing this overflow of talent down low.