The fate of the 2006/07 76ers team may not depend on their two superstars,
but on their two to three young role players. There is no question that Allen
Iverson and Chris Webber are good offensive scorers, but both are aging and need
more support from the rest of their team to continue winning games. Head coach
Maurice Cheeks will look to improve upon last seasons disappointing finish which
left the team out of the playoffs and full of holes.
Allen Iverson has been nothing but consistent in his scoring for his career
and last season was no different. His 33 points per game were second in the
league only to Kobe Bryant and he came close to almost single-handedly taking
the 76ers into the playoffs. Unfortunately for the rest of the team, Iverson
usually gets these numbers by taking an excessive amount of shots. His 25.3
shots per game were three times as much as his guard counterpart Andre Iguodala.
If he can cut that down to near 20 and increase his assists numbers, the team
will benefit.
In the inside is another veteran scorer in Chris Webber. Webber also takes an
excess in shots with 19 a game. He, however, is not as effective in scoring as
his points average was just over 20.2. To be successful, the 76ers really have
to emphasize to Chris that they need more passes and less shots. They need to be
less of a two man show and more of a team.
Around the two main figures of the 76ers are talented young men like Andre
Iguodala, Kyle Korver and Samuel Dalembert. Iguodala is a great defender who is
still expanding his offensive game. If he gets more looks this season for
Iverson and Webber, expect an increase in production. Samuel is a solid center
with a big contract who has to stay healthy. He could easily be a double-double
threat in the future. And finally Korver is a deep threat who cannot do much
else. Aside from these five players, the 76ers really do not have any big
threats for contributions off the bench.
Because of their lack of depth and the ball-hogging tendencies of their two
leaders, it is difficult to see the 76ers do much better than their 38 win
season from last year. It is possible for them to make the playoffs, just as
likely as it is for them to miss it. As said before, their final fate will
depend on how well their support players start the season.
