PHILADELPHIA — For the Philadelphia 76ers to find success on the offensive end, they need to play with pace. That doesn’t mean they need to play at the breakneck speed of the famed “seven seconds or less” Phoenix Suns of the 2000s, but they need to get into their sets quicker.
When Philadelphia pushes the ball up the floor and gets into their offensive sets quicker, they have success via a lot of easy looks. That is where James Harden comes in.
The Sixers need Harden to push that pace and make sure everyone is on the same page. He had 19 points, 16 assists, and nine rebounds in the win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday and that is the production Philadelphia needs. That also comes with pushing the pace on the offensive end.
“I mean, I’m not fast, but I think pace for me means, everybody gets up the floor and we know what we’re trying to accomplish possession by possession,” said Harden. “Not just running up the floor and then we finally get up the floor and now we’re trying to figure out what we’re trying to do. Getting up the floor, getting our spots, and knowing what we’re trying to accomplish possession by possession.”
The Sixers have not had a long stretch with their full roster on the floor. That has inhibited some of the chemistry and it has hindered their ability to find that consistency of pace.
“Once we get that consistently, then that’s pace,” Harden added. “Whether we get up this floor with three seconds to go on the clock or 20 seconds on the clock, like, everybody’s on the same page, getting to your spots, and knowing what we’re trying to accomplish that possession and doing it consistently.”
The Sixers continue their homestand on Tuesday when they host the Sacramento Kings.
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Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire