Nick Nurse Saw 76ers' Biggest Problem Coming From a Mile Away

Before the Philadelphia 76ers matchup against the Indiana Pacers, head coach Nick Nurse was asked about how the 76ers could improve upon their loss to the Detroit Pistons.

He responded candidly and said defensive rebounding was the biggest problem that they had to fix. His other observation that he felt could have some improvement is more of a layered topic, offensive execution. Nurse explained that it’s more about how they show their hand and less about the actual scoring. 

Fast forward to the Pacers’ game, and it seemed that what Nurse explained was heard by his players. In their win against the Pacers, the 76ers outrebounded the Pacers 45-44, at least in terms of defensive rebounding. While it’s only by one board, a win is a win. It’s a step in the right direction of controlling the game. 

The second part of Nurses’ explanation focuses on the offensive side, where the team has to get off to a better start.  The team did just that in the first half, and it led to a ten-point lead that was quickly diminished by a dormant offense in the second half. 

This is another piece of the 76ers offense that has to be rectified: its consistency. Through the first four games it was the first half they seemed to struggle with and then opened up the second half with an offensive onslaught. This time it was the exact opposite, as they allowed themselves to be subjected to a barrage of scoring by the Pacers offense. It seemed that the 76ers went back to their old ways of playing one-on-one basketball. This could prove to be the very thing that keeps this team from putting it all together.

This may have been exactly what Nurse was talking about when he said that they have to do a better job at hiding what they’re doing offensively. When the 76ers try to go and play hero ball, it never ends well. Most of the time, when this team plays like this, it allows for their opponent to get back in the game. Which is exactly what many witnessed against the Pacers. The good thing is, this team has a never-say-die attitude, and that’s what makes them different from past teams.

What may turn out to be a huge problem can turn itself into a positive because of the players assembled. Anferenee Simon scored 20 points as he helped the team navigate through their offensive drought.  But Simon can't be the only thing that keeps the team together when the starters are struggling. That's the next hurdle.

The team may have heard their head coach, but it’s going to be some more than one game to buy into what he’s selling, and it starts with the offense playing as one.