Which Sixers Can Catch A Lob?
The Opening Tip
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Oh Yeah, The Sixers
Question Time! (Fuck Kevin Porter Junior for Life Edition)
1. Did you look at the roster?
Yes. No further comment at this time aside from they somehow managed to get older and even brought in a guy who legitimately has one good leg.
2. What happens the first week of camp?
Everybody except Uno shows up and Nick Nurse instead of installing his offense and defense has to spend the week answering questions about is absent, disgruntled point guard. A rite of passage for Sixers coaches in a way.
3. Do you believe Joel Embiid will ride it out?
I do. I think he genuinely wants to win here and trusts Daryl Morey enough to try to get it right atleast one more season before he begins to stir.
4. Is there anything for fans to be optimistic about leading into this season?
It's bleak. And they had, in my estimation, the worst offseason of the past decade so no, outside of being able to see the Mad Max and BBall Paul's of the world, there's no reason to be excited about what's to come.
5. Do you think Team USA can convince Embiid to play next summer?
I think his peers can. I think Lebron, KD and Jayson Tatum (who he shares a trainer with) can definitely convince him. This is where the game is played. You join Team USA, spend 3 months with guys on the same basketball superstar stratosphere as you, and then talk one or two of them into sliding into a max slot next to you. So if asked, I really do hope he considers and goes.
Mike's Corner... Which Sixers Can Catch A Lob?
Every week Spike or Mike will give you something that's on their mind. It's Mike's week, and he's talking which Sixers can catch an alley-oop.
Dunking is one thing. Even the most groundbound of NBA players are still NBA players. So give them enough space in a non-game atmosphere where they don't have to dribble, and I'm fairly certain we'd be close to a 100% success rate. But the more interesting question to me is, in a game situation, how many Sixers could be on the receiving end of a lob?
A successful alley-oop is one of my favorite things in basketball. It's an easy look that requires athleticism, off a pass, off movement. High success rate, plus vibes, plus momentum. By my estimation, the Sixers had zero alley-oops last season. I can remember a few Jalen McDaniels attempts gone far-fetchedly awry, but that's about it.
Through NBA.com, I looked at every team's "Alley-Oop Dunk Shots" (AODS) last season, which is different from "Alley-Oop Layup Shots", which are okay but do not count. Gotta dunk. Dunking is good. The Sixers somehow executed 20 of their 22 AODS, which is 20 more than I can recall, but still 4th lowest in the league. My Oklahoma City Thunder connected on a mere 8 of 10, which seems impossible. Trae Young's Hawks are far and away the league leaders at 130 out of 141 attempts.
The Sixers are a year older, minus McDaniels (and Shake & Niang & Dedmon, who were not necessarily exploding out of the gym), and I've been railing on them for how few athletic players they actually have, which is an interesting strategy for a professional basketball team. So let's go one by one through the current 15-man roster, alphabetically.
Mo Bamba - It would be pretty funny if he couldn't, but yes, the guy with the 7'10 wingspan can absolutely catch a lob.
Patrick Beverley - Not unless they lower the rims.
Joel Embiid - Can he? Of course. Does he? Not since before the pandemic. He's just not comfortable as a lob threat. Whether it's because of injury prevention or just he doesn't like doing it anymore, I'm gonna count this as a no.
Danny Green - The year is 2023.
James Harden - The year is any year.
Montrezl Harrell - Really does pain me because he was one of the most joyous lob threats in basketball in the previous decade, but his legs were being reclaimed by the earth before he tore his ACL and meniscus. So no.
Tobias Harris - My friend-turned-foe of Tobias Just Fucking Dunk It rants last season. Though it doesn't come naturally to him, this is a clear yes.
Danuel House - He may break the backboard with his ass somehow, but yes, Dan can certainly catch a lob.
Furkan Korkmaz - We've seen some nifty Korkmaz dunks over the years, but most of them to my memory are him rolling down the lane and surprising someone. But he's big & athletic enough to occasionally catch a weakside lob and I would like to see it more. Let's be generous to the Trade Request Godfather and say yes, even though he is 30% less athletic outside of Europe.
Tyrese Maxey - Can absolutely get up, but I doubt his ability to actually get one off in game. Would have to be in transition and he's so much more prone to catching and finishing with speed rather than verticality. This is a no for me.
DeAnthony Melton - Yes for sure, and I demand to see more of it.
Filip Petrusev - Will be the least exhilarating alley-oop since the sport was invented, but yes, he can.
Paul Reed - His name is Bball Paul, unfortunately not Alley-Oop Paul. Despite my frequent urgings for him to spend all summer catching lobs, he has been taking crossover-stepback-fadeaways. I don't love it. He won't do it as much as he should, but he'll definitely connect on a few lobs this year without Doc Rivers's weird hot breath in his ear.
Jaden Springer - He will explode off of two feet for many lobs this year. I predict he leads the team in them.
PJ Tucker - C'mon now.
FINAL TALLY: 8/15 lob threats, several of whom Would Rather Not
SEASON PREDICTION: They will dethrone OKC as the least lob-catching team in the league and I will complain about it incessantly from beginning to end.
Spike & Mutlu Interview Jason Kelce & Connor Barwin
Peace, Love and Process Time to beat the Vikings again
-Zo