The Celtics, Not The Knicks, Are Who 76ers Should Emulate
Since the 76ers lost to the Knicks in the 1st round, there has been a lot of talk about how that should be the formula the Sixers should copy. So when Daryl Morey implied the Sixers will be star-hunting again, there was a lot of outcry from fans. They don’t want another star, they want the Sixers to surround Embiid and Maxey with role players like the Knicks did for Jalen Brunson.
Here is the thing though, you are looking at the wrong team. Yes, the Knicks won 1 series, and are on their way to winning another. But are they going to beat the Celtics? I doubt it.
The Knicks are nice, but the Celtics are the juggernaut that we should really want to the Sixers to strive to be.
The Sixers Tried The Knicks Formula This Year
The thing is, the Sixers already tried doing the Knicks’ way. They did not go star hunting this past off-season. There were talks of Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal, but they never materialized.
Instead, they focused on putting role players around Embiid and Maxey. And it failed. Embiid and Maxey were the only players you could consistently rely on. Many of those role players, vanished when the Sixers needed them.
We thought it was the right group of guys. The narrative going into the playoffs was that they had the best group they ever had around Embiid. We quickly learned that was a farce.
What they needed was a 3rd guy they could count on to score points every night. Because Tobias Harris failed to show up, they did not have that.
The Celtics Are Still The Team To Beat
The Celtics are far and away the favorite to come out of the East. They are the favorite to win it all. All season, they were the most formidable team in Basketball. We hate to say it because we hate the Celtics. But they are the best team in Basketball.
So what did they do this off-season to take that leap? Did they surround Tatum and Brown with role players?
No. In fact, they traded away role players to bring in more star power. They went out and added Kristaps Porzingis, a guy with star power that had failed to live up to it so far, and Jrue Holiday, a proven winner who if he is not a star, is damn close to it.
They gave up a lot to get those two guys. They sent away the ultimate role player in Marcus Smart to get Porzingis. A move I will admit at the time I thought was terrible. But it clearly worked. It gave the Celtics a 3rd option who can score 20 points per night, taking their offense to another level.
Then they flipped two more role players, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams, along with multiple round picks, to get Jrue Holiday. They completely reshaped their roster to bring in two high-end talents.
They obviously haven’t won anything yet, but it seems to have worked. They could still mess it up, but things look good for them as of now.
They tried the role-player thing for years. You could argue they had a great cast of role players around Tatum and Brown. It didn’t work for them. Adding more star power looks like it might though.
Aim Higher Than Being The Knicks
The Knicks beat the Sixers. So it is easy to compare the two teams and come away thinking the Sixers just need better role players. But when you compare them to other competitive teams, it leads to a different result.
Getting out of the 2nd round is not the goal. Winning it all is the goal. To do that, they need to catch up to the Celtics.
Is adding a handful of okay players going to accomplish that? No. They need more “high-level players,” as Morey puts it. Not necessarily Super Stars. But high-end talent. Players who can take over a game when called upon.
They don’t need more Josh Harts or Donte Divencenzos. If you can add them on top of adding stars, great. But players like that won’t make up the difference. I still think we will see that when the Knicks and Celtics inevitably cross paths. There is way too much inconsistency in their games for them to be the main guys around your star players.
The Sixers need a Kristaps Porzingis, and a Jrue Holiday. Who is their version of those two guys? I don’t know. Maybe Brandon Ingram and Mikal Bridges.
Could they add both of those guys? Maybe not. But those are the types of players they need to go after. Not role players, as so many people seem to want.
Be the Celtics, not the Knicks. Go out and add high-end players around Embiid and Maxey.
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