Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers 2019-20 season preview
Changes made by Philly
The 76ers had a lot of tough decisions to make in the off season. They went all-in last season, trading for Jimmy Butler and former Piston Tobias Harris to take advantage of their winning window. The Sixers made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost in seven games, which was so devastating that Embiid needed a hug and cry afterwards. So sad.
Philly parted ways with the mercurial Butler after determining there weren’t enough shots or team chemistry to go around. They had a flurry of offseason contracts including signing Al Horford, re-signing Harris and extending Ben Simmons. They signed 15 players in total, including some notable names like James Ennis III, Trey Burke, and Mike Scott (ok, not that notable).
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The Sixers also let several of their own free agents walk, including sharpshooting heel JJ Redick, who joined the young upstarts in New Orleans. The Sixers will surely feel the loss of Redick, as he was their best shooter and third best offensive option. He also doesn’t need the ball much to get his points, which is something Philly doesn’t have.
The big get was Horford, the former Celtic who might be the most underrated player in the league. Horford does all the things that good teams need and will almost certainly make Philly’s defense and team chemistry better.
The Sixers went away from shooting and doubled down on size. They will be a handful, with height at every position, but will they have enough shooting? Philly wants desperately to make the Finals and anything short might end with an even bigger shake-up next off season.