When the Philadelphia 76ers started the season on a four-game winning streak, fans knew something was different. A focal point was Philadelphia’s offensive shift to an offensive system that requires a faster pace and more ball movement. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe thrived with this style of play, but it eventually spread throughout the roster against the Brooklyn Nets.
Philadelphia (5-1) defeated Brooklyn (0-6) 129-105 on Sunday night at Barclays Center. In a game without EmbiidPaul George and Jared McCain showed the 76ers their renewed offense against a lesser opponent. Philadelphia received key offensive contributions from its role players in Kelly Oubre Jr, Quentin Grimes and Trendon Watford.
Kelly Oubre Jr. keeps flowing
Amid the madness of the return of “VJ Maxx” and Embiid, Oubre’s convincing start to the year has been lost in the fire of success. He led all scorers with 29 points on 66.3% true shooting, three rebounds and two stocks (steals and blocks). Oubre has now averaged 21.4 points in his last five games.
Much of his early success comes from his willingness to play within the flow of the 76ers’ offense. Earlier in his career, Oubre had a tendency to force action off the dribble en route to contested shots against unfavorable coverages. Now he makes timely cutbacks and quick decisions away from the point of attack, which has given him efficient shots. Not to mention, he is now shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc on 5.4 attempts per game this season.
Quentin Grimes, the point guard
Grimes had a career-high 13 assists to go along with 22 points on 70.3% true shooting and seven rebounds. Nick Nurse has relied on Grimes as a backup scorer, a role in which he has excelled thus far. He has impressed as a dynamic goalscorer, finding his positions both on and off the ball, but playmaking has been something he has struggled with until tonight.
With Jared McCain yet to debut, Grimes has taken on the burden of being one of Philadelphia’s primary creators and has looked too thin at times. However, he steered the ship nicely on several sets and read the floor well in transition, which is exactly what the 76ers tried to do early.
Welcome Trendon Watford
Watford registered just two points in their first two games, but strengthened themselves tonight with 16 points and 77.8% from the field. The 24-year-old also had nine rebounds and seven assists. His versatility at power forward is what made the Philadelphia acquisition so intriguing, and he proved the optimists right.
Watford initiated many actions smoothly and made decisions with a high IQ, with and without the ball. He made impressive use of Brooklyn’s defense by detecting assist rotations to create advantages for teammates and made the right decisions when faced with single coverage. When McCain and George return, Philadelphia will have plenty of offensive variety.
The 76ers remain on the road to take on the Chicago Bulls (5-0) on November 4 at 8:00 PM EST.
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