Philadelphia 76ers: Depth, familiarity will be the key this season

As we look ahead to the 2017-2018 regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers will need to rely on their deep rotation if they want to succeed.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a ton to look forward to this season. With the expected debuts of Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, and J.J. Redick, fans should be excited. On top of that, we will get to see the hopeful return of Joel Embiid. This year may very well make or break the Sixers, but how will the team operate on the court?

Well, while the Sixers have definitely upgraded at virtually every position, depth still holds true. The majority of the players on hand played for the team last season. Of the 16 players currently on the team, 11 of them were on the roster last season. That’s a 69 percent return rate. Nice.

Anyway, it’s all fine and dandy that the team brought back so many familiar faces, but what does that mean in the grand scheme of things. Well, it means that there will be an added sense of comradery that most teams wish they had. Brett Brown’s main philosophy is based around the idea of working as a unit. How good an that unit be if the players simply aren’t well-adjusted to each other’s tendencies?

The Pop Coaching Tree

Obviously, the Philadelphia 76ers will benefit from this added knowledge. In order to truly succeed, everyone needs to step up. The Sixers have a ton of depth to work with. Every position has quality players backing up the starters. While some of these players may not play tons of minutes, they will still affect the game when they can.

For instance, because of their familiarity with the system, guys like T.J. McConnell, Dario Saric, Richaun Holmes, and Nik Stauskas can all come in and immediately contribute. On other teams, where player turnover is rather high, that may not work as effectively. It takes time to adjust to a new coaching philosophy.

That’s why teams like the San Antonio Spurs and the Atlanta Hawks (until this season, maybe) always find their way in the playoffs. They find a way to maintain stability and ensure success because of the coaching system. In a sense, that’s probably why the Sixers hired Brett Brown. He came from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree, where player-familiarity and establishing a culture and a system reigns prevalent.

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Really, the Philadelphia 76ers have set themselves up for success this season. Yes, you added a few pieces to the puzzle, but the foundation remains the same. If anything, some of these players will fit better coming off the bench. Obviously, some of them simply should not start, but finding a place on this team won’t require that. Hopefully, the Sixers stick to their philosophy, as depth and familiarity remain crucial to their future winnings.