How do you play Simmons and James together? Both are ball dominating and Simmons does nothing to space the floor
So were James and Wade.
Not really. Wade at least had an iso game and could hit the midrange jumper, which Simmons cannot yet do.
That’s a highly questionable fit among those four given Simmons’ limitations and the playing style of the other three. And it’s not even a situation like GS, as Green isn’t a scorer and Klay is almost purely a catch and shoot guy coming off of screens. Simmons is pretty much Lebron James lite (playing style - not talent) with even less shooting ability, and both Kawhi and Embiid both play largely with the ball in their hands.
Kawhi is likely the best to be situated off the ball, but is he really going to be happy with fewer touches and looks so that much younger (and not as good) players get touches?
Go back to 2010 threads, Wade and LeBron being too ball dominant and unable to shoot front outside enough to play together was a pervasive thought on this board. Claiming otherwise now is a straight up revision of history.
I think with that potential lineup in Philly, talent and BBIQ will win. Smart, talented guys will find a way to make the pieces fit. When superteams fail, it's usually because there's one bonehead in the mix (Dwight, LAL).
What does that have anything to do with anything? I wasn’t even around here in 2010 lol
I’m not talking about the perception of their fit on Celticsblog; I’m talking about their actual fit on the court. Wade was actually a threat from the midrange and in the iso game, whereas Simmons is not. Wade also quickly learned how to play more off the ball by utilizing off-ball cuts, which Simmons has not shown any capability of yet. Those are significant differences in the potential fit.
Simply don’t see how those four could optimally work in today’s NBA given that A) one is a complete non-shooter, B) two are average shooters at best, and C) the only good shooter is one who is unlikely to take such a minimized role off the balk, and that’s not even getting into the various character/personality concerns among those four.
As Roy says you underrate LeBron. What more does he have to show you?
Again, it’s not Lebron I’m doubting; it’s the other three. Don’t see how Simmons is functionally effective at all sharing the court with those three. Don’t see Kawhi being happy getting significantly fewer touches and usage to keep the other more ball-dominant players involved, which really brings into question him resigning. And I think it’ll be hard to balance how much to let Embiid have the ball and get his, too.
Ultimately, Simmons is the real issue. His particular weaknesses throw a real wrench into that system, as he’s virtually useless and actively harmful to the offense when he doesn’t have the ball given his lack of spacing. I think Lebron, Kawhi, and Embiid could work well together, but adding the fourth piece, let alone that piece being about as terrible of a fit as possible, makes thing extremely difficult to fit and piece together.
Ultimately I see this as a moot point, though, because I don’t see Philly as a legitimate landing spot. I see LA upping the offer, landing Kawhi, and then landing Lebron, with Cleveland being the only other real option for him at this point.
Topic: Lebron to 76ers: worst case scenario? (Read 5449 times)