Philadelphia 76ers: Wait, Alec Burks is actually good? You don’t say
Did the Philadelphia 76ers just realize Alec Burks is good?
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown really doesn’t seem to like Alec Burks.
Why? Goodness me, I don’t know why but it sure feels like it, right? Despite being far and away the Sixers’ best shooter since the season resumed on August 1st, Burke was mostly relegated to a part-time reserve role the likes of which is typically reserved for players like Raul Neto, Marial Shayok, and Kyle O’Quinn.
Seriously, he went 7-10 from the field and a perfect 6-6 from 3 point range over a three-game stretch, and Al Horford still earned the nod to replace Ben Simmons in the starting five even though Tobias Harris is a more natural fit at power than small forward.
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But you know what they say, and by they I mean the late-great Eddie Money in his 1978 quasi-hit, you can’t keep a good man down.
With Horford back in the starting lineup at the four spot, a role he actually played very well, Coach Brown was forced to rely on Burks much more heavily to spark his second unit’s offense.
And to the shock of literally no one -save maybe Brown – it actually worked.
Burks kept up his impressive streak of 3 point supremacy by knocking down 42 percent of his seven shots, while shooting 53 percent from the field, and gave the Sixers their first 20 point scorer off the bench since Glenn Robinson III put up 25 against the Los Angeles Lakers all the way back on March 3rd.
Granted, the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t play for five months between those two games, but honestly, does it feel a whole lot longer than five months?
So naturally, anytime a Sixers player shows a basic ability to run the show with the ball in his hand, knockdown open 3s, and *gasp* create his own shot it’s going to result in irrational reactions across the fanbase. Heck, Shake Milton had a hot 10 game stretch from late February to early March and I’m pretty sure I saw prayer candles of the SMU sharpshooter for sale off Passyunk.
Is Burks just the next one-and-done fluke bench performer riding off of impressive snaps juiced by a limited sample size, or are these last four games the real deal? Frankly, I’m not sure, but I imagine it’s a question Coach Brown and company should try to find out fast.
Outside of a deceptively efficient showing against the Washington Wizards, Josh Richardson is averaging a little over nine points in 32 minutes of action while shooting a ghastly 9-31 from the field. Now I’m not suggesting Brown should flip flop Richardson and Burks in his starting five – okay, maybe I am – there are benefits to having Burks as a change of pace combo guard coming off the bench, as his herkey-jerky left-handed style can give defenses fits in the same way a speedy reserve like Patty Mills can (more on that here) but why is Burks averaging 15 fewer minutes a game?
With the playoffs right around the corner, it’s not hyperbole to imagine Burks filling a role not too dissimilar to the one Jimmy Butler filled last spring; a fourth-quarter veteran floor general capable of running the show and fishing for an open shot anywhere on the court. Granted, Burks isn’t an All-NBA-caliber defender like Butler, but having a 6-foot-6 shooter capable of playing any wing position in addition to taking the ball in his hands as a lead guard is without a doubt worth the three second-round picks Elton Brand surrendered for his services.
You know, if Burks really does take this oppertunity and run with it, he’s going to be looking for a massive pay bump from his current vet minimum deal; money that will be very hard for the Sixers to come up with.
*sigh* why can’t we just have nice things?
Next. An Al Horford starting five is inescapable. dark
With Ben Simmons effectively out for the remainder of the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers’ offense is going to look a whole lot more conventional moving forward. Assuming Al Horford remains in the starting five at power forward, Brett Brown is going to need to re-jigger his rotations around to ensure the optimized firepower is on the court at all times. If Alec Burks doesn’t receive a healthy play bump in this new rotation, what are we even doing here? He’s the team’s best 3-point shooter post-Bubble and a capable ball handler. What, did Burks make an offhand joke about Portland, Maine being the inferior Portland in Brown’s presence? Ugh.