What kind of roles will Sixers have for new additions, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III?
Glenn Robinson III debuted with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting in 12 minutes, 10 seconds in Sunday's victory over the Bulls. The small forward graded out at a plus-11.
Brett Brown chose to keep things to himself.
The 76ers coach was asked Sunday what roles he had in mind for newly acquired wings Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, both acquired from the Golden State Warriors on Thursday in exchange for three second-round picks.
They joined the team for Sunday’s 118-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
“In my mind, I do,” Brown said of knowing which roles he prefers. “But it’s probably not something I want to share right now with everybody. There’s a stable of wings that something’s got to give.
“There’s only so many minutes, because the group is flexible, everybody can sort of read into or think about what I think that means. You have options.”
Translation: Burks and Robinson came into a situation where there’s an overflow of shooting guards and small forwards.
Shake Milton is starting at shooting guard while the Sixers gradually get Josh Richardson back into the flow. Tobias Harris is the starting small forward. Point guard Ben Simmons can play multiple positions. And rookie Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz are standout reserves.
On Sunday, it didn’t take long for Brown to call on Robinson. He checked into the game with 2 minutes, 1 seconds left in the first quarter. The 26-year-old finished with 10 points and graded out at a plus-11.
“I really want to talk to Brett [Monday], kind of figure out more,” Robinson said of his role. “But I think that whether that’s coming off the bench, whatever it might be, just get a clear vision of whatever my role might be. So everybody can maximize and we starting winning more games. That’s the key.”
It appears that his role might be more defined than Burks'.
Burks is a combo guard who is a one-on-one shot creator and can score off the dribble. He’s a volume shooter, who was averaging a career-best 12.5 shot attempts a game as a reserve with Golden State.
However, Korkmaz has blossomed into the Sixers’ designated sharpshooter. He had 31 points against the Bulls after scoring a career-high 34 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Milton has shown that he deserves to remain in the rotation after Richardson is reinserted into the starting lineup. And Thybulle, a defensive specialist, will continue to get minutes.
Burks said he doesn’t know if he’ll fit in.
“I guess we will figure that out soon,” he said. “I know that they wanted me here [on] their team. They think I fit well. So we will see how that plays out.”
Burks didn’t play Sunday. He actually didn’t arrive in Philadelphia until Sunday morning after taking an overnight flight from California.
The Sixers have yet to have a conversation with him about a particular role.
“We will see how it plays out,” he said.
But he’s in a completely didn’t situation.
The Sixers (33-21) are fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, Golden State (12-41) has the league’s worst record.
So surely Burks is excited about being a team with a chance to play for something, right?
“NBA basketball is NBA basketball to me,” he said. “I don’t care if we lose or win. I mean it’s only what 400 of us playing, no matter where I’m playing."