The Sixers’ halfcourt offense has been beyond a work in progress. They are confident it can improve.
LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey say that facet of the game will improve as they learn individual tendencies of their new teammates.
In his 24 seasons, LeBron James said he’s observed that there’s one facet of the game that typically takes a long time to calibrate acclimating to new teammates or a new team — the offensive side of the ball. Not just the offense as a whole, but specifically the halfcourt, where teammates have to adapt to the individual tendencies of players they are getting to know in a new light.
“Offense is, for the most part, about rhythm, and about knowing where your teammates are going to be,” James said. “You can close your eyes and know where your teammate is going to be, and that takes time. That takes a lot of like, reps and reps and reps, from games, to practices, to film, ‘OK, we need to be there when that happens.’ So, we just have to go through that.”
» READ MORE: Murphy: New team, more stars, same story: Sixers still can’t solve life without Joel Embiid
That’s one reason why through four games, the Sixers’ halfcourt offense has veered from inconsistent to downright clunky. It was the latter, especially in the first half, of their 106-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Even in their three wins, transition and early shot-clock offense has saved the Sixers and spurred comebacks against the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pistons’ switch-heavy defense, which was without its best perimeter defender in Ausar Thompson, exposed the Sixers’ nascent cohesion in the halfcourt. In that jagged first half, the Sixers offense had a rating of 69.4 points per 100 possessions. For reference, the worst halfcourt offense in basketball last season, the Brooklyn Nets, had an offensive rating of 91.6, according to the website Cleaning the Glass.
“I didn’t think we got into a very good flow offensively,” Sixers coach Nike Nurse said. “... We felt like we were disorganized a little bit. A lot of guys moving positions, a couple guys coming back, all that kind of stuff. It felt that way. We just weren’t able to get much flow in the offense. So those two things.”
Without Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers were trying some lineups that they had not experimented with much during training camp. Guard Tyrese Maxey said they had shuffled through a lot of lineups in the first month of practices, but the starting lineup with Maxey, James, Dean Wade, Jaylen Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope?
“That was one we hadn’t worked on,” Maxey said. “But it happens, and I take some responsibility on myself of not going to get the ball and get it orchestrated sometimes, and organized. I’ll be better at that.”
The offense looked as if it could use some more organization as it bogged down into isolation-heavy possessions that ended with contested shots. But learning some of the nuances of how certain players like to play could alleviate that pressure if chemistry between two teammates can create space for a cut, or a good pass to an area where a certain player likes to receive the ball, or where he likes to operate on the floor.
Maxey used what he’s learning about Brown as an example of what it’s like to play against someone, then try to learn them as a teammate.
“When he drives, what is his tendency?” Maxey said. “Once you’re playing against the guy you kind of know, and you know how to kind of stop him, but when you’re playing with him, now you’re trying to help him. ‘OK, is he going over there? When he goes over there, now I got to pull over here, or I got to space there.’
“Bron is the same way. But I think, yeah, we’ll be fine on that.”
Nurse emphasized a theme he repeated during training camp, even when the offense didn’t look they way the team wanted — that the intent to make the right plays was there. He still sensed that, even as the halfcourt offense is finding its way a week into the season.
“I think for the most part, the intent of making the right play and passing ahead and throwing to the next action, etc., has been excellent,” Nurse said.
Beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine break down their most intriguing quotes from LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey during the preseason, along with what they most hope to learn about this revamped roster during the first month of the season. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
