Andrew Bynum’s arrival puts additional responsibility on Philadelphia 76ers' back-court – NBA News
As the Philadelphia 76ers enter a new era, they will need their star players to step up, particularly their back court duo of Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner.
The Sixers were involved in a blockbuster four team trade last week which landed them former big man of the Los Angeles Lakers, Andrew Bynum. In return, the Sixers had to part ways with Andre Iguodala, the best player in their team. However, the Sixers seem happy because Iguodala wanted to be moved and the Sixers got the most dominant centre in NBA today after Dwight Howard.
The addition of Bynum will completely change the brand of basketball the Sixers will play next season. Last season, the Sixers relied on their back court. This season, they will look to circle their offense around Bynum, who is a dominant force in the post and can score as well as rebound.
His addition changes their priority as a team in terms of plays. However, it is very likely that as the season progresses, opposing teams will pick up on the Sixers philosophy and will begin to double team Bynum in an attempt to hold him down.
In normal circumstances, that is not a bad thing as drawing attention to one player usually opens up a great deal of opportunities on the court for other players. But in the case of the Sixers, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner will have to step up their game to the next level if they want that strategy to succeed.
With Iguodala gone, the two will likely form the starting back court of the Sixers next season. And Sixers coach Doug Collins has great expectations from the two. Talking to CSNPhilly.com, Collins said:
“It’s going to give (Turner) more opportunity. If you look at last year, we had four guys who wanted to finish games — we had [Lou Williams] and Evan and Jrue and [Andre Iguodala]. Evan is going to take a great step leadership-wise.I think Evan knows what opportunity is there for him,” said Collins.
Spencer Hawes will be teaming up in the front court with Bynum and newly acquired perimeter shooting expert Nick Young will likely play as the sixth man, providing the Sixers with a great shooter and scorer coming off the bench.
The Sixers were one of the better defending teams last season, much due to Iguodala. This year, Bynum’s entry into the team will help them be the same defensive force as last year, if not better. It is now up to Holiday and Turner to rise to the challenge and take the Sixers to the next level.
Tags: