“Pace, space, and pass.”
“Pace and poise.”
Friday night after a loss to the Utah Jazz, “Pace and post.”
Odds are, if Brett Brown is talking about the 76ers’ offense, there’s a good chance he’ll invoke one of those phrases, or use the word “pace” in some manner. Pace has proven to be a key component of the axis around which Brown’s offensive world has revolved since he joined the Sixers in August of 2013.
In Brown’s first season, he made it clear that getting the Sixers to play fast on a consistent basis was a top priority. That mission was accomplished, as the team ranked first in the NBA with an average of 101.6 possessions per game, according to ESPN’s “Hollinger Stats” (utilized by advanced statistics guru John Hollinger). Last year, the Sixers, despite slightly slowing things down, still finished sixth in the league, generating 98.3 possessions per game. Through the first two games of the new schedule, however, the story is somewhat different.
On the surface, the Sixers’ rate of 97.8 possessions per game is only half a possession slower than the pace the team played at a season ago. Relative to the other 29 clubs in the league, though, the Sixers’ current pace is seventh-to-last. Granted, the sample size is very small, but Brown recognizes that bringing in all 6’11”, 271 pounds of Jahlil Okafor this off-season has changed some dynamics.
“I think trying to find that balance of running and posting. We cannot play slow,” Brown said after the Sixers managed 71 points, 19 field goals, and 63 field goal attempts against the Jazz. “As good as I think Jahlil can be, that bothered me a lot. We had 15 assists out of our 19 made baskets. I think that we can play with speed, but we have to find that balance.”
Certainly, with 80 games remaining, Brown and the Sixers have plenty of time to experiment and adapt.
“[Utah’s] defense was pretty good,” said Nerlens Noel, who was limited to eight points. He converted two of 12 shots from the field. “We missed some open looks, and made some ill-advised decisions, starting with myself. We need to do a better job of executing on the offensive end.”
Noel added that he believes the Sixers would benefit from “moving the ball a little bit more.” They’ve also been searching for more opportunities to get out and run, totaling 14 fast-break points through their first two games.
Brown gave Noel and the Sixers off on Saturday. They re-group for practice Sunday morning.
