Sixers gain ‘clarity’ in defensive roles and re-energize group that once had lofty expectations

ATLANTA — When Joel Embiid quipped that the 76ers’ season officially began with Monday’s win over the Phoenix Suns because the Phillies’ stunning World Series run was over, it was in response to a question about his team’s defense so far not living up to the All-NBA center’s own lofty expectations.

“Well, tonight it was the case,” Embiid said, correcting the reporter.

Embiid was right, as the Sixers (5-6) allowed a season-low 88 points against a Phoenix team that entered Wednesday ranked in the top 10 in the NBA in offensive efficiency. Embiid hinted that some schematic tweaks, including less switching, tightened the Sixers’ play on that end of the floor. Yet coach Doc Rivers continues to emphasize role clarity as a reason for progress.

“You have a defensive game plan and if you run it right, and then there’s flaws in it, you can actually see the flaws,” Rivers said. “But if you don’t run it right, you don’t know if what you should be doing will work. The other night was clearly one of our better defensive nights.”

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The Sixers entered the season boasting about the more aggressive defensive tactics they could deploy — from that switching to trapping to guarding full-court — because of offseason additions P.J. Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, and Danuel House.

So far, though, the results have been mixed.

They entered Wednesday ranked 16th out of 30 NBA teams in efficiency (111.4 points allowed per 100 possessions). They were fourth in opponent three-point percentage (39.2%) but 15th in deep shots allowed (34.5%), a figure Rivers said recently was too high because “the league just shoots too well now” when dribble penetration forces defenders to leave their man behind the arc to help at the rim. They lead the NBA in fewest second-chance points allowed (9.5 per game) entering Wednesday, and are in the top 10 in points in the paint allowed (eighth, 45.1 per game) and steals (9.5 per game), boosted by the long arms, athleticism and anticipation of Melton and two-time NBA All-Defensive second-team selection Matisse Thybulle.

The biggest statistical eyesore, however, has been the 16.2 fast-break points surrendered per game, which ranked 24th in the league entering Wednesday.

Those struggles prompted the Sixers to alter their plan, which helped them shave more than four points off that figure (12 points allowed per game) and rise to sixth in the league over their past six games. Despite ranking 27th in offensive rebounds per game (7.8), Rivers has shifted two (unnamed) players who were initially instructed to crash the glass to “get-back guys” to stop the ball when possession changes.

“We’ve taken them out of it, because they’re not getting [offensive rebounds] anyway,” Rivers said.

Other nuances can be noticed by the more trained basketball eye. Rivers said the Sixers’ goal is to keep the ball out of the middle of the floor, especially when it’s coming from the side, and to bring the “low guy” (the defender closest to the baseline and hoop on the weak side) over to help earlier.

“It’s not like we came in and changed our system or something,” Rivers said. “ ... It wasn’t a big tweak. But again, making it clear was very important. ...

“Our low guy has been absent a lot this year, where he should be there. You keep working on it, and we’re getting better at it.”

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Melton has been the Sixers’ most impactful newcomer on that end of the floor, tying for fourth in the league in deflections (40) entering Wednesday and doing an “awesome” job Monday night on early MVP contender Devin Booker, Rivers said. The coach also commended Thybulle’s first-half work guarding point guard Chris Paul, before the future Hall of Famer left with a heel injury.

Playing four of their first 10 games without Embiid — and using an undersized frontcourt behind him — also has impacted the Sixers’ defense. The three-time second-team All-Defensive selection threw a variety of looks at the Suns, including blitzing Booker and dropping back, rather than being a cog in a scheme that switched 1 through 5 on screens.

“I can do it,” Embiid said of switching, “but if you’re going to do it the whole game, it could become a challenge, chasing guards all over the place. What I’m good at is protecting the rim and making sure no one gets in there.

“It’s really all about me figuring [it] out on the fly … and follow [my] instincts.”