Philadelphia 76ers: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2019-20
By Amaar Burton
For the Philadelphia 76ers to take the next step in “The Process,” their new “Big 3” has to deliver on its potential in 2019-20.
Just when it looked like the Philadelphia 76ers‘ roller-coaster rebuilding job — famously dubbed “The Process” a few years ago — was finally going to pay glorious dividends, the Sixers’ NBA championship window appeared to slam shut when Kawhi Leonard‘s Game 7 buzzer-beater bounced around the rim and fell in to eliminate Philly from the second round of the 2019 playoffs.
That window re-opened a couple of months later when Leonard bounced himself and his brand new Finals MVP trophy out of Toronto and signed with the L.A. Clippers.
The Eastern Conference is now wide-open, and Philly can take it if they grow from their recent failures and learn how to beat the best teams when it matters most.
Although Raptors were top-5 in offensive & defensive rating, defense won their championship.
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) August 18, 2019
Sixers built a more offensively talented roster w defense as the guiding philosophy, since defense wins championships. I believe they're better built to win rings in 2020 than in 2019.
Just like the reigning champion Raptors, the Sixers lost their own All-Star and All-Defensive wing player in the offseason.
However, Jimmy Butler‘s departure should be easier to withstand for the Sixers because they were able to bring back most of their core, acquire shooting guard Josh Richardson from the Miami Heat in the sign-and-trade for Butler, and add five-time All-Star big man Al Horford in free agency.
For the Sixers to improve from two straight second-round exits and move closer to a title, the first thing they’ll need is for their new-look “Big 3” to get better.
Here are the Sixers players facing the most pressure in 2019-20.