Sixers basketball is back and our TV crew is ready to roll.
Play-by-play announcer Marc Zumoff, color analyst Alaa Abdelnaby and sideline reporter Serena Winters give us some of their bold predictions for this season.
Zumoff
The Sixers' bench will be better this year
On the surface, this doesn't seem to be the wisest prediction, especially with the injuries to Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala and the losses of Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli.
But here's my rationale:
• Although he's 34, JJ Redick is playing the best basketball of his career. He's a better three-point shooter than either Belinelli or Ilyasova.
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• Once healthy, Chandler and Muscala will not only shoot the three as well, but Chandler is also a physical defender (something the Sixers needed in the playoffs last year against Boston) and Muscala is more mobile than you might think.
I agree with NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com's Matt Haughton (see story) that Elton Brand will eventually swing a deal to help the bench, but to me, it already shapes up to be better than last year.
Abdelnaby
Fewer wins in the regular season but …
The Sixers won't have a better record in the regular season but will go farther in the playoffs.
The team isn't as good as last year and won't win 17 in a row. Wins will be harder to come by. They'll get as far they can until they play Boston, which I think will be in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Winters
Brett Brown will win Coach Of The Year
From annual lottery team to serious Eastern Conference contender, it's time for Brett Brown to get his due. Gone (but not forgotten) are the days of the 19-win, 18-win, 10-win seasons, revolving doors of players and massive injuries (we hope), but somehow Brown has managed to pull this organization through.
And with a healthy Markelle Fultz, another year of experience for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, a 52-win season and a conference semis appearance under their belts, it's only up from here.
The difference this year? The bar has been set high. Brown has his sights set on the NBA Finals, and if he achieves that, he'll have another award to show for it.
Ben Simmons will shoot 150 more free throws this season
Free throws are clearly an emphasis for Simmons this season. After almost every practice, you can find Simmons at the line, concentrating on keeping that elbow tucked in, something he worked on with his brother over the summer.
Last year, Simmons went to the line 4.2 times per game and shot 56 percent. This year, Brown has challenged Simmons to get to the line more, which he thinks, in turn, will make him shoot better from the line.
Brown has said a realistic goal is getting Simmons to shoot anywhere from six to nine free throws a game, so adding an extra 150 (he took 341 last season) if he stays healthy, should be a piece of cake!
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