It's been 15 games since the Sixers changed their starting lineup, moving Brand back to PF and inserting Jrue as the starting point guard. The team is 9-6 over those 15 games, and for the most part, the starting group has done a great job. We'll take a closer look after the jump.
If you're wondering why this lineup is working, the answer is very simple. They're defending.
Jordan has used three variations of the starting lineup, here is how they've performed defensively:
Holiday, Iverson, Iguodala, Brand, Dalembert
- Minutes: 138
- Possessions Against: 262
- Points Allowed: 272
- Defensive Efficiency Rating:103.8
- Pace:90.4
Holiday, Green, Iguodala, Brand, Dalembert
- Minutes: 104
- Possessions Against: 188
- Points Allowed:180
- Defensive Efficiency Rating:95.7
- Pace: 87.1
Holiday, Williams, Iguodala, Brand, Dalembert
- Minutes: 14
- Possessions Against: 30
- Points Allowed: 22
- Defensive Efficiency Rating:73.3
- Pace: 102
All three lineups, combined
- Minutes: 256
- Possessions Against: 480
- Points Allowed: 474
- Defensive Efficiency Rating: 98.75
- Pace: 89.7
It's a pretty simple formula, pressure the ball (Jrue), lock down wing scorers (Iguodala), protect the rim (Sammy) and teams are going to have a very hard time scoring points on you. The only problem is Jordan is loathe to go back to his starters, or at least has been over the past 15 games. These three units, the starting units in each game, have combined for only 256 of a possible 725 minutes, or 35% of available minutes. That seems kind of low to me, but I haven't done the research to know what share your average starting five plays on a nightly basis.
Offensively, these lineups have performed almost exactly as well as the roster as a whole. 105.5 offensive rating for these groups, 105.7 for the entire team.
Whoever came up with this idea was right. Now it's just a matter of applying it over a full 48 minutes, rather than only beginning of the first and third quarters. But that's a problem for another coach, in another season (hopefully). Right now, the Sixers simply don't have the bodies to keep the defensive heat on teams for a full 48, and they don't have a coach who's going to commit to it either. In the mean time, I know I'll be looking forward to the beginning of games to see what this group can do.
Preview coming later tonight, tip is at 9:00 p.m.
It makes you wonder what they would be like with a solid SG. Not a star- maybe someone a bit better than a Courtney Lee?
Also, how much does Brand matter to this equation. I used to view him as a good defender and rebounder- but I'm not sure that is still the case.
Say in some bizarro world they flip Brand for Arenas + unprotected #1 and then re-sign Sam to a reasonable contract (7M per)- could that get you 55 wins?
...Disclaimer- I am in no way advocated getting Arenas. just speaking hypotheticals.
Will Speights be your starting PF in this scenario?
I don't think Arenas fits the mold of a SG I'm looking for. I just want a shooter, not a guy who's going to dominate the ball. Lee would be a good fit if he could play like he did as a rookie and not how he's playing this season.
How much Brand is contributing is an excellent question. He's averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals/36 minutes since the move, so he's doing something on the defensive end. His defensive rebounding has been uh, decent I guess, 4.78 DRB/36. That's a full rebound more than Thad grabs. He also doesn't have the size disadvantage Thad suffers through.
EB's play on the pick and roll leaves a lot to be desired, but can you honestly say it's worse than Thad's? I think Brand is a significant defensive upgrade over Thad and Speights, though I'm not sure how he stacks up against other PFs in the league. Probably above average, right?
EB's play on the pick and roll leaves a lot to be desired, but can you honestly say it's worse than Thad's?
I think it would be hard to be worse than Brand this year at playing the P/R. A lot of times, Brand stands 3-4 feet away and just let's his teammate get picked, leading to a wide open jumper. Thad is a lot better at "showing" and almost always stops the dribbler. His main problem with the P/R is that sometimes he shows too strongly and forces a switch, and then the guy he switched onto drives right around him.
Also, I would call Brand's defensive rebounding "decent" when surpasses (a) his previous career worst defensive-rebounds-per-minute or (b) Iguodala's defensive-rebounds-per-minute. To date, his defensive rebounding has been poor by his standards.
According to 82games.com, Brand is a net positive on defense (108.3 rating ON court, 111.0 rating OFF court), but that is affected by who is playing PF when he's on the bench (Thad, Speights).
I actually find Brand's other play on the P&R more disturbing, when he basically hugs his man from behind and stays glued to him. This means Jrue, or whoever is on the ball, has to go under both of them, or fight through with no show. At least when he leaves that gap Jrue can bounce right under it and hopefully cut off the drive. Either way the guy is going to get an open jumper, this style just gives the guy his choice of open shots.
On the whole, though, EB is an upgrade over the other guys on the roster at PF, and he does make plays (notably, using those freakishly long arms to poke away entry passes in the post, or even out on the floor. He's also still blocking shots).
His defensive rebounding numbers are problematic, to be sure, but still better than Thad's, so he's part of the solution rather than the problem, I think, especially when we're talking relative to the current roster.
Do you have any stats on a
Jrue - Iguodala- Young- Brand- Dalembert lineup?
3 qestions
1. Is Andre our future SF?
2. Who is the better option at SF Thad or Andre?
3. Shouldn't one of these guy be traded for a SG?
Thad should be moved for a real SG. He has regressed and we should get him out of here before he loses that potential luster.
Iggy's contract is only horrible because he is our "star" player. If we had a true number superstar to place next to him his contract would be fine.
You can find all the stats at BasketballValue.com
Our better option at SF is Iguodala. He's probably a better option at PF than Thad as well, but that's beside the point. The only way they're going to work together at the 2/3 is if one of them suddenly becomes a very good three point shooter, which I guess is possible, but not likely. Or maybe if Jrue winds up as a 40%+ shooter from three.
I really like Thad in this bench role, does it help when he goes to resign? C.Lee is starting to play well and if we keep dropping in the draft, to me, he would be a good option to acquire if he is available. He "D" !s it up and can compliment L.Will. as a big p.g. for some minutes like he did in college.
Of course we should trade for a SG. Kevin Martin would have been a hell of an option, and I'm sure we could have swung for him had we unloaded Iggy.
I'd rather have Iggy and Jrue then Kevin Martin and Jrue.
We just need to get a shooting guard who is 6'6 or over, can actually shoot, and play some D.
They don't have to be an all star.
Even more frustrating is that half a year of Jrue's development was wasted on coaching retardation. Now Jrue is in and moving us further and further away from a better draft pick.
Yeah Kevin Martin would have been a 'hell' of an option if you don't want to improve defense, need a volume shooter who is injury prone. But if you had unloaded Iguodala you'd have traded the better overall player, the healthier player, the better defender, and thus made your team worse, not better