The 76ers may have found a bench backcourt that can change the shape of their second unit.
When Anfernee Simons arrived in Philadelphia in early July, the Sixers had already added a rookie combo guard in Labaron Philon. That gives Nick Nurse a pair of guards who can come off the bench together, and the fit is built around speed, shot-making, and enough playmaking to keep the offense moving.
There’s obvious overlap in their games. Both can handle the ball and both can score.
Both bring shooting and a similar kind of crafty feel with the dribble. But they don’t do it in exactly the same way.
Simons is the cleaner pure shooter, the kind of guard who can fire from just about anywhere on the floor. Philon brings more defense and gets downhill to the rim more often.
Nurse sounds ready to lean into that combination rather than treat Philon like a rookie who has to wait his turn.
"I think Anfernee and Philon are both going to be important," he said. "I think both of them are handlers that can play some pick-and-roll and score the ball...It seems like we've gotten faster and a lot more athletic."
That matters for a team that finished 13th in pace during the 2025-26 regular season. Two guards who can push the ball should help Philadelphia create more possessions and find easier scoring chances before the defense gets set.
The spacing piece is just as important. The Sixers were 23rd in three-point percentage last season, and Simons and Philon both help address that.
Simons has hit 38.1% of his threes across eight NBA seasons. Philon hasn’t played in a real NBA game yet, but he shot 36.7% from deep in college, including 39.9% as a sophomore.
Philadelphia’s guard room is crowded on paper, with Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe also in the mix. That likely means some early experimentation as Nurse sorts through different combinations and figures out what works best.
There’s still a tradeoff, and Nurse didn’t sugarcoat it.
"Of course, there are some other issues," he said. "We might be a touch small at times, but I certainly take the speed and athleticism."
That size concern is real, especially for a reserve backcourt. But the Sixers do have bigger forwards such as 6-foot-9 Dominick Barlow and Dean Wade who can help balance things out. And given how badly the bench needed offense last season - Philadelphia ranked 27th in bench scoring - the scoring punch from Simons and Philon may be worth the compromise.
Compared with the previous backcourt rotation that revolved around Quentin Grimes, this looks like a clear offensive upgrade. The question now is whether the defense can hold up.
Philon has already shown a knack for stealing the ball and defending with energy. Simons has spent much of his career carrying a reputation as a defensive liability, though his short run with the Celtics suggested real progress. He said Boston helped him learn how to jump passing lanes and fight through screens.
He also believes that context mattered. In Portland, after Damian Lillard left, Simons had to shoulder the offense as the main option, and that heavier load affected him on defense.
In Boston, he wasn’t asked to be the centerpiece. He won’t have to be that in Philadelphia either.
That Celtics stint offered a reminder of what Simons can look like when the situation gives him room to compete.
And for a Sixers team that needs production from its bench, that’s the point. Simons and Philon give Philadelphia a faster, more athletic second-unit backcourt with real scoring juice - and a chance to make the reserve group matter.
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