2012-2013 preview: Philadelphia 76ers

Eastern Conference #6: Philadelphia 76ers (47-35)

Point Guard: Jrue Holiday, Royal Ivey.
Shooting Guard: Nick Young, Jason Richardson
Small Forward: Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Dorell Wright
Power Forward: Spencer Hawes, Lavoy Allen, Arnett Moultrie
Center: Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown.

          Everyone knows (hopefully) that Dwight Howard wasn't the only All-Star who switched teams when the Lakers traded for him. The Sixers sent Iguodala to Denver and got Bynum in return, which sets Bynum up to finally become a number one option on his team as long as he can stay healthy. He's 24 years old and just finished his first full healthy season while making the All-Star team and is the second best center in the league behind Howard. The question for the Sixers will be if having a dynamic main player will have any effect on how they play. They lost Iguodala in the trade and Lou Williams to the Hawks after not resigning him even though he led the team in scoring with 15 PPG while playing only 26 minutes a game. They added Nick Young, who's basically the same player as Williams (nearly identical stats) but plays on the wings more.

          Adding Bynum will also take a lot of the pressure off Hawes and Allen to play like solid starters even if they aren't. Hawes is expected to play at Power Forward alongside Bynum, and while Hawes isn't that great of a player, he did average a 10-7 with 49% shooting in 25 minutes. Bynum is also used to playing with another 7-footer, so this should hopefully work out well for both of them. Bynum will be able to take on a bigger scoring role, which he will likely embrace, while not having to be the sole big man on the court, and Hawes, who has openly stated he would play better alongside another big man at Center, will be able to play in the position he's the most comfortable in. They've also lost Elton Brand though, which would normally be a problem but Bynum seems like he could make up for Brand's production and then some.

The top 10 plays for both Bynum and Iggy (on the right) are impressive, and some might even choose Iggy over Bynum based off those videos (Iguodala DID make the Olympic team while Bynum did not), the Sixers have some semblance of athletic wing players in Nick young and Evan Turner who are decent and Bynum should be able to bring a lot to this Sixers team and, while it is subjective, I think he will be better for this Sixers team than Iguodala. That can be a hard thing to say, especially with a guy as great as Iggy. However, Bynum has proven himself, even playing alongside Kobe and Pau Gasol, to be one of the best in the league. If he can escape from Kobe's shadow and enjoy the attention of a city like Philly and be their best guy, he could be a top-10 talent if he stays healthy and improves like he should. Last season he averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and shot 56% from the field. First, lets take into account that he's only 24 years old and will likely improve in his basketball IQ and sense of the game, and maybe even in his percentages. Next, lets factor in that he played with Kobe and Pau last season. The two of them took about 37-38 shots a game, and nearly 50% of the Lakers' shots. How much can Bynum develop as an offensive force with those guys playing alongside him for 40 minutes a game? If Bynum embraces his larger role and, as I've stressed before, stays healthy, he could average a 25-14 with 2+ blocks. Seriously. The only hitch in that plan is Doug Collins. He likes to spread the ball around and distribute shots fairly evenly, so will he allow Bynum to take close to 20 shots a game like some say he should? Probably not. He'll certainly be a top option for the Sixers, and I can't really see anyone on the team taking more shots than him. He'll also get a few extra points on second-chance plays and tip-ins along with foul shots (if he can shoot them well). Whatever happens, look for Bynum to make or break how this Sixers team does. They won't be that good without him, so if they want to make the playoffs they better pray he doesn't get hurt.
          This may surprise you, but the Sixers only have five players returning from last season: Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Lavoy Allen, and Spencer Hawes. All five played large roles on this team and they should all continue to do so with the exception of Allen, who will back up Hawes at PF this season. Holiday is locked in at the starting PG slot yet again, and will hopefully pick up where he left off last season, averaging 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 44% FG and 39% 3FG in 33.8 minutes. Since this Sixers team can all handle the ball and pass fairly well, Holiday isn't a conventional Point Guard and shouldn't get a lot of assists although we may see him crack 5+ if he meshes with Bynum well. Evan Turner should likely start at SF this year and play some minutes at SG too behind Nick Young depending on how well Jason Richardson plays.
          The Sixers were absolutely stacked last season at the SG and SF positions. So much so that none of them really got the minutes they deserved and it was hard to see their potential. Last season, they had Iguodala, Turner, Thaddeus Young, Jodie Meeks (who started 50 games), and Lou Williams. They split the minutes as best they could, but it was apparent that they could all play well with Starters minutes. It's a bit more open this season, but we could still see Turner get cut short on minutes depending on how Collins decides to play. Turner averaged 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists with 45% FG in 26 minutes. He only got about eight shots a game, which explains his low points average and he also doesn't shoot threes well (22% while taking 0.8 per game), which would normally boost his points average slightly.

Guys. I'm an olympian. Now can I PLEASE
take more shots than Luke Ridnour?

          Thaddeus Young backed up Turner, but played more minutes than him, averaging 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 51% FG. He played about 28 minutes a game and took 10 shots a game. Again, when looking at players on the Sixers, you can't look at their minutes and expect a normal number of points. Not because they're poor shooters, but because they don't get as many shots as many who play their number of minutes. Holiday averaged the second most minutes with 33.8 a game, and also led the team in shot attempts with 12.5 per game. Nobody took more than 13 shots a game. That's unheard of for just about any team. Also, seriously... how many guys other than a defensive minded center can make the olympic team by take 10 shots a game? Apparently Andre Iguodala can.
          Guys like Young, Turner, Holiday, and Iggy could all potentially average 20 points a game if they played on a team like the Cavs or Bobcats or the Wizards. So while getting rid of guys like Williams and Iggy may not make sense on paper, having fewer talented guys vying for minutes will give them a better sense of unity and they'll be more comfortable playing with each other. Still, at least it means an injury to a guard won't destroy them.
          At Power Forward, both Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen are back as well. As mentioned before, Hawes started at Center last season but will move back to his natural position this season. Hawes averaged 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks a game while shooting 49% FG and playing 25 minutes a game. Were he to play 10 more minutes a game, Hawes would average 14 points and 10 rebounds a game, which would put him among the higher ranks of Centers in the NBA statistically. Lavoy Allen backed up Elton Brand last season, averaging 4.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15 minutes a game. He's likely to see the same minutes next season unless Hawes doesn't see an increase in minutes.
          The Sixers also have a number of new players coming in, including Nick Young, Dorell Wright, Jason Richardson, Arnett Moultrie, and Kwame Brown. It's unlikely that any of these guys will play more than 10 minutes a game other than Young and possibly Richardson, but lets take a look at them anyway. Nick Young played most of the 2012 season with the Wizards before being traded to the Clippers for the last 20 games of the season. He averaged 16.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists with 41% FG and 37% 3FG with the Wizards, but played worse on the Clippers while playing a smaller role. He looks like he'll fit in on this Sixers team well and will have opportunities to create shots for himself.
          Richardson comes from the Dwight Howard trade, and will back up Nick Young at SG. Last season, he averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.1 and shooting 41% FG and 37% 3FG. He's 31 years old now, and is far from the days of averaging nearly 25 PPG and being one of the best 3FG shooters and dunkers in the league. He should still be an acceptable backup though as long as he doesn't have to play too many minutes.
         With so many old and new players on this team, it may take awhile for things to come together. The second half is likely to go better than the first, so Sixers fans shouldn't worry if things don't start out as well as they'd like. Once Bynum adjusts to playing on a new team and taking on a bigger role and everyone else figures out how to play with a star Center, they'll definitely be a playoff team. I don't think they'll be able to match up with the top five seeds in the East though, and they'll likely see another early playoff exit.