2009-2010 Philadelphia 76ers NBA Preview

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2009-2010 Philadelphia 76ers NBA Preview

25 September 2009 115 views

Preview courtesy of Stu Holdren @ NBANoise

Key Additions:
Jrue Holiday (draft)
Jason Kapono (trade)
Primoz Brezec (free agency)

Key Losses:
Andre Miller (free agency)
Reggie Evans (trade)

The Breakdown:
The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off of a respectable .500 season that led to a sixth seed in the Eastern playoffs (where they were eventually beat by Orlando). They had built a reputation as an exciting, up-tempo group let by the court vision of Andre Miller and the athleticism of swingmen Andre Iguodala and Thaddeous Young. The Sixers were somewhat forced to rely on their fast offensive play, especially since Elton Brand (their only real post presence) was limited to only 29 games due to shoulder surgery.

Much of this season’s success will depend on Brand’s health. It wasn’t too long ago that Brand was abusing opposing power forwards and putting up double-doubles like clockwork. The Sixers need Brand desperately, both to give them a reliable option in the half-court set, and to divert attention and pressure away from Iguodala. I am, however, looking forward to watching the continued development of rookie Marreese Speights. Speights has a prototypical power-forward physiqe, and he demonstrated that he could be a solid contributor if given significant playing time. I think that in time, he could be a Paul Millsap type of a player.

Philadelphia 76ers 2009-2010 Preview (media)

But even more notable than the uncertainty surrounding Brand is the inexperience and youth at the point guard position. After two years of veteran playmaker Andre Miller at the helm, the Sixers are looking to fill his big shoes after he joined the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason. The Sixers were able to nab UCLA point guard Jrue Holiday with the 17th pick in the draft, and he will be competing for the starting position. But Holiday is often mentioned in conjunction with the word “potential” rather than “NBA ready”, and at 19-years-old Holiday would be receiving a baptism by fire if he were to start. The safer selection might be Lou Williams who has proved to be an effective scorer off of the Philadelphia bench. The problem with Williams is he is really a shoot-first combo guard, and might not be the facilitator that Philadelphia is used to or needs.

Still, Philadelphia has a lot of familiar faces and veteran players. I would expect Iguodala to shoulder an even larger responsibility for the team, and I’m looking forward to watching the continued ascent of Young. Regardless of Brand’s comeback and the concerns at point guard, I think the Sixers will remain competitive.

The Prediction:
I’m not sure they’ll be able to hit the 41-win mark again this year, but they should be close. If Brand can stay in the lineup, look for Philadelphia to just sneak into the playoffs this season – and have yet another first round exit.