Retired NBA champion Brendan Haywood made his feelings clear on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ramblings continue as people anticipate a roller coaster season from the Philadelphia 76ers. Between the health of Joel Embiid and the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, there are many who believe this is a concoction that won’t mesh well.
Former NBA player Brendan Haywood has major concerns about the team and how this may not be the season many expect.
Haywood appeared on a podcast and discussed how there’s a lack of rim protection and every starter had a high usage rate the previous season. The problem with all of this is this has no bearings on what they can do as a unit.
He mentions Brown and Maxey, who had an over-30% usage rate. We’re forgetting that their usage rate was this high because their other star players were out. That’s like taking the engine out of your car and wondering why your key can’t start the car.
For starters, Brown had such a high usage because Jayson Tatum was out with an injury. Maxey, it’s the same story; not only was Embiid out more than half the season, Paul George struggled to stay healthy and was suspended 25 games as well. This immediately catapulted Maxey from a potential third option to the only option.
Haywood felt that Embiid’s ineffectiveness defensively could be a burden on James and leave the team vulnerable in the playoffs. He went on to talk about his blow-by rate and how there was a void left in the effort department.
He’s forgetting that without Embiid, the 76ers have zero chance at winning that series against the Boston Celtics. In that close-out game he had 34 points and 12 rebounds.
So if this is how he plays with the team on his back, imagine the relief he’ll get having shooters all around him. The health of the team will be fine under head coach Nick Nurse. Let’s remember he had Kawhi Leonard as his star and managed to keep him healthy.
It’s easier to base an opinion when you can’t see the bigger picture. The high usage rate doesn’t mean the player has to have the ball or even have to score at a high rate. In fact, it speaks to how the player can score even with all eyes on them.
What Haywood considers to be a weakness could in fact be a strength and enhance the chances for Philadelphia to be a contender.
