NBA: 30 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 season

12. The revamped Philadelphia 76ers (again)

There’s something to be said in the NBA for roster continuity, but that’s a philosophy the Philadelphia 76ers don’t seem to believe in. They once more underwent a massive restructuring of their roster in an attempt to build on their back-to-back appearances in the conference-semi finals.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons remain to anchor the fourth-highest scoring team from a year ago, but gone are crucial pieces J.J. Redick and Jimmy Butler, replaced instead by Josh Richardson and Al Horford.

The latter two provide vastly different skill sets to the former, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing for the Sixers. Richardson shoots the ball at a good enough clip to complement his energy and athleticism. Horford has long been a thorn in Brett Brown’s side but will now use his two-way do-everything abilities to help bring a title to Philly.

https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1179176667425591298

Of their projected starting unit, Richardson is the shortest among them at 6’6”. This allows little excuses for Philly not to be one of the stingiest defenses across the league, the type that can switch everything and overwhelm the opposition with size.

The Sixers were within striking distance of the conference finals last season, yet find themselves a fundamentally different squad heading into the new campaign. They’ll be worth the price of admission off Embiid and Simmons alone, but it’s their latest iteration that could be the one to bring ultimate validation to the process.