Patrick Beverley thinks the answer to the 76ers’ new superteam starts with making hard choices.
Philadelphia has loaded up this offseason, adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a group that already featured Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. On paper, that makes the 76ers one of the most dangerous teams in the league, and Beverley - one of the NBA’s longtime defensive grinders - laid out the kind of approach he believes opponents have to use to survive them on the Thanalysis Show.
“I think it’s a simple game plan,” Beverley said. “You got to live with something.
Offensively, I’m putting LeBron James, Embiid in every pick-and-roll scenario, okay? I’mma use my offense to be my defense.
Okay, LeBron’s guarding you? You come set this screen.
Okay, cool. You get out the way.
Come here, Embiid. I’mma put those two in every single defensive scenario that I can.
“Anytime I see LeBron James, I’m attacking him,” Beverley continued. “I’m getting in the paint.
I’m making Embiid help every single time. And I’m using my defense from that, and I’m using my offense from that.
I’m wearing them down. VJ Edgecombe, LeBron James, you guys have to hit five to six threes tonight to beat me.
You both have to hit 11 threes total to beat me.
“Maxey gets the ball, I’m putting two on him,” Beverley added. “Embiid gets the ball, I’m putting two on him.
Jaylen Brown gets the ball. Okay, he’s going to give me 25 to 20, right?
Those other guys, though, VJ Edgecombe and LeBron, and I know LeBron, you’ve done it time after time… You have to do it again.”
Beverley made three All-Defensive teams over his 12-year career, so this is coming from someone who spent a long time living in the details of game plans. His point is pretty clear: force James and young VJ Edgecombe to carry the burden, and try to make Maxey and Embiid work for every touch.
He also wants the other side of the floor turned into a pressure test. Beverley said he would throw different looks at the 76ers, including zone, and he wants James and Embiid attacked over and over.
“I’m going a lot of zone,” Beverley said. “Anytime LeBron James bring up the ball, pressure his a** 94 feet.
Pressure LeBron James. If LeBron wants to bring up the ball against us, we’re pressuring him 94 feet.
We going to wear him down. We going to wear Embiid down.
That’s all we doing.
“Now when the second unit comes, then this is where we kind of make our separation,” Beverley added. “As a coach, if I could prepare my second unit to be ready for the playoffs, we have a chance.”
That second-unit battle could matter a lot. The 76ers do have usable pieces in Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but there should still be a drop when the stars sit. If an opponent can’t win those minutes, it’s going to be a long night.
Beverley also said the 76ers are already a problem after watching Brown, James, and Maxey work out together. The 38-year-old thought they looked great and said the rest of the league should be worried.
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