CAMDEN, N.J. — As the Sixers entered their third day of training camp, head coach Nick Nurse said that the team had more of a “mental day” on Thursday as they began to implement their offense.
“The first two days were very intense and physical, and lots of scrimmaging. And so today was a little bit of a mental body recovery day,” Nurse said. “So it was putting in [the] initial phases of all three phases, like offensive sets, special team sets, out-of-bounds plays, and then coverages on defense. It was just kind of over and over, building that kind of from the beginning.
“We hadn't done any of that. We were just kind of building, getting back and blocking out, and playing hard, playing physical and stuff, and running and getting in shape and scrimmaging the first two days, but today was more mental.”
As much as the defensive emphasis reflects the team’s confidence in its offensive ability, it’s also business as usual for Nurse.
“I think you have to [start with defense],” Nurse said. “There's so much to get through, and there are so many different phases of the game that you have to pick what you want to emphasize and what you want your team to be about. And it's always for me, it's always got to start with playing defense and getting that side of it the proper attention it deserves.”
But with the Sixers finally beginning to install their offense Thursday, the question becomes how Nurse plans to make all of those pieces fit.
MORE: Takeaways from Day 1 of training camp
There’s been plenty of outside noise questioning how the Sixers will make this new-look roster work offensively, so it may come as a surprise that they entered camp with a defensive mindset to start. But the team has consistently voiced confidence in being able to let the offense come naturally.
“A lot of it doesn't change,” Nurse said. “You're starting with trying to play with some pace and get easy baskets, right? And then you're kind of talking about the shot spectrum of can we get the most efficient shots. And then I think it starts going from there as far as when your offense isn't in rhythm and isn't producing those things is when you're starting to go: Who's got the best matchup? Who's got the hot hand? Whose guy is in foul trouble? Whatever it takes to go from there.”
As for who will take on the responsibility on-ball, Nurse is comfortable with a committee approach considering the team’s desire to push the ball in transition, which has not changed with its new-look roster.
“I think we have several guys that [are] what I would call grab-and-go. Like if they get rebounds and their first advantage is to start pushing it up the floor and it stays that way, then they're gonna do it, and I think we'll have enough what I would call probably secondary offensive triggers that shouldn't matter. You know, if it's [LeBron James], if it's [Jaylen Brown], or if it's VJ, kind of on and on from there.”
MORE: Takeaways from Day 2 of training camp
As for the half-court offense, the addition of LeBron James naturally led to plenty of speculation about him playing point guard for the Sixers. While he’s not guaranteed to bring the ball up on every trip for the Sixers, Nurse confirmed that there will be plenty of opportunities for James to initiate their offensive actions.
“I consider [LeBron] a great offense creator,” Nurse said. “I don't necessarily mean scorer; I just mean creator and a table setter and all that kind of stuff. And I think that's where I could see, if it isn't bringing it up and starting, it's probably going to be first pass anyway to the wing. And then we get into our actions.”
Aside from being a generational talent as a facilitator with rare size for the role, the benefits of a LeBron James-initiated offense are not just limited to his own skills, but how they complement his teammates.
Last season proved the need to increase off-ball opportunities for Tyrese Maxey. He had an All-NBA season, but it didn’t come easy as opponents blitzed early and often, looking to knock him off his rhythm. It was a difficult mountain to overcome both schematically and physically, as the immediate physicality wore on the NBA leader in minutes per game — as it would anyone.
Nurse tried a number of adjustments to solve the issue, but it was clear that the team lacked the playmaking ability to overcome it. Adding LeBron James — and rookie Labaron Philon — should go a long way toward mitigating those issues.
The Sixers did note two injury updates. The first involved Tacko Fall, who left Wednesday’s practice early with a hip injury. An MRI revealed a left hip strain.
Additionally, Nurse and team representatives confirmed that Adem Bona, who suffered a left foot sprain ahead of camp, will be reevaluated in the next few days. Nurse added that he is “hopeful” that Bona will be able to play in a portion of the team’s preseason slate.
MORE: Latest Sixers news, analysis and more
