Nick Nurse isn’t the type to sugarcoat things. So when the Philadelphia 76ers head coach sat down to talk about his new-look backcourt at Summer League, he didn’t dance around it. He gave it to us straight.
The Sixers have been one of the most aggressive teams this offseason. They pulled off a blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown from the Celtics. They drafted Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. And they brought in Anfernee Simons. All of that, plus the ongoing LeBron James rumors circling around the organization, has given Philly fans plenty to talk about.
But Nurse is focused on what he’s actually got in front of him right now. And he likes it.
“I think Anfernee and Philon are both going to be important,” Nurse said, per The Athletic’s Tony Jones. “I think both of them are handlers that can play some pick-and-roll and score the ball. Both of them are super athletes.”
That speed and explosiveness is exactly what Nurse wants. But he also acknowledged there’s a trade-off.
“[We’re] faster and a lot more athletic,” Nurse said. “Of course, there are some other issues.”
The biggest issue? Size. Nurse admitted the Sixers “might be a touch small at times” with Simons and Philon on the floor together. But he’s willing to live with it.
“I certainly take the speed and athleticism,” he said.
That leaves it up to Nurse and his staff to figure out how to make the pieces fit on defense and in half-court sets. It’s a coaching challenge, but it’s the kind of challenge a team with Finals aspirations can work with.
The James Factor Still Looms
None of this happens in a vacuum. The LeBron James rumors won’t die. Multiple reports have connected the 76ers to the four-time MVP this summer, and a move like that would obviously change everything about this roster.
If James comes to Philly, that backcourt gets a lot more interesting. James could mentor Philon and Simons, teach them how to read defenses, and take the pressure off them to create everything on their own. It would turn a young, fast backcourt into something potentially devastating.
But that’s all still hypothetical. The team has not confirmed any talks with James or his camp. For now, the Sixers are rolling with what they’ve got.
Philly fans are watching closely. They know the front office is aggressive. They know Nurse can coach. And they know this team looks different than it did last season. Faster. More athletic. Maybe a little small. But definitely different.
Whether that’s enough to get past Boston or Milwaukee remains to be seen. But Nurse isn’t waiting around to find out. He’s already working on the next piece of the puzzle.
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