Philadelphia 76ers: 5 reasons to be excited for 2018-19 NBA season

By Simon Smith | Sep 29, 2018

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 24: The Philadelphia 76ers celebrate the series win after the game against the Miami Heat in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. The dynamic starting five

Despite it being their first season together on the court, the starting five for the Sixers last season was simply sublime.

Initially, the Sixers went for an all-out, small ball lineup, featuring Jerryd Bayless in place of Dario Saric. However, from game No. 8 of the season, the Sixers settled with a lineup that ultimately proved to be an incredible success.

The lineup of Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Joel Embiid and Saric ended the season as the most productive five-man lineup in the league, finishing with a 21.4 net rating.

Of the 10 five-man lineups in the league that shared the court for at least 500 minutes, this dynamic unit had the best return by a comfortable margin.

The 76ers starting 5 of Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric & Joel Embiid was +268 in 600 minutes.

2nd-best total in +/- belonged to the Jeff Teague/Jimmy Butler/Andrew Wiggins/Taj Gibston/Karl-Anthony Towns. +169 in 1,131 minutes.

That's a LARGE gap.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) April 12, 2018

Possibly the most encouraging aspect of their play was the gradual improvement they made over the course of the season. From Feb. 6, this quintet compiled an incredible 28.3 net rating in 258 minutes, while being a +147 together on the floor.

So while last season they had to familiarise themselves with one another, the ability this season to hit the ground running and capitalise on their experiences together will certainly be a feature of the Sixers in 2018-19.