Doc Rivers details his focus before opener, Sixers need to work on offense
The Philadelphia 76ers are all set for the opener now as they get set to take on the Washington Wizards. The preseason is done, the roster is set, and now is the time to put the final touches on the game plan before the season does officially begin on Wednesday.
The Sixers have the potential to be one of the top defensive teams in the league and that will be easy considering they are led by All-Defensive Team members like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Due to the lack of offensive cohesion the team has at the moment, the plan is to get out and run a bit more by using their defense.
“Right now, I think transition wise and off misses offensively, we’re pretty good,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I don’t think we’re a good half-court offensive team yet, we will be, but we’re behind there. I told our guys, let’s not get in half-court. Let’s get stops. The more defensive stops we get, the more we can run and get out into play, but the defense is where I’ll focus the most on.”
It makes sense as to why the Sixers are a little behind the 8-ball right now on offense as they have a new coach, a new system, and a new roster surrounding Simmons and Embiid. Eventually, the offense will be able to run a little smoother due to the fact that the shooters will get on a roll and the two stars will be able to run a cleaner pick-and-roll, but for now, it’s tough.
“There’s a couple plays that I think we’re really good at right now and we’ll run those more, but you still have to run those other plays,” Rivers continued. “You don’t build Rome in a day and sometimes it takes time. You have to be willing to go through that pain, even during the regular season game to get where you want to go.”
There will be times where it will be clunky at the beginning of the season, but this team has the right pieces to get it done. Their first game against the Wizards will not be easy, but it will be a nice test for them.
