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Have Sixers done enough to address their defensive rebounding problem? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The 2024-25 Sixers will begin training camp on Oct. 1 in the Bahamas.
As that date approaches, we’ll dive into several significant topics for the team in Nick Nurse’s second season as head coach.
First, we looked at what the Sixers will be able to depend on this season.
Next up: Have the Sixers done enough to address their defensive rebounding problem?
The most optimistic slant on this question has to start with Andre Drummond.
By every metric, he’s long been a historically elite rebounder. And while Drummond will (again) play behind seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid, he’s used to posting sizable rebounding numbers in backup minutes. He averaged 9.0 rebounds last season with the Bulls in 17.1 minutes per contest.
“I think that’s why I’m here — to eliminate a lot of those issues,” Drummond said in July. “I’m happy to be valued in that sense, to see the bigger picture. Not just be here for the season, but see my skill set for the playoffs. I’m excited for that.”
How about the Sixers’ other summer pickups?
It’s not his calling card, but Paul George has consistently been a good defensive rebounder. Per Cleaning the Glass, Caleb Martin has been slightly above league average among NBA forwards the last two seasons in defensive rebounding rate off missed field goals.
Guerschon Yabusele is a big, physical power forward and Ricky Council IV is a strong, explosive player who generally rebounded well as a rookie. We’ll see how roles and minutes shake out for the Sixers’ bench, but it would be a bit surprising if defensive rebounding were a weakness for either Yabusele or Council.
As for the pessimistic side … veteran guards Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson haven’t tended to add a ton on the defensive glass. Health permitting, Tyrese Maxey will likely lead the Sixers in minutes per game — he averaged 44.5 last postseason — and the 23-year-old is a 6-foot-2 point guard who should sometimes value leaking out for potential fast breaks over wholehearted defensive rebounding effort.
Beyond personnel, there’s stylistic and schematic factors to consider. Given Maxey’s open-floor gifts and the appeal of early shot-clock mismatches, the Sixers should care plenty about transition offense. They led the league in transition efficiency last season with 134.8 points per 100 transition plays, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The Sixers don’t want to be regularly outnumbered on the glass or concede uncontested rebounds, but every team needs to make strategic trade-offs. Increasing Maxey’s chances to run at a backpedaling defense sounds more promising than asking him to join the scrap around the paint for every single defensive rebound.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s defenses won’t always be conducive to high-level rebounding. For example, the Sixers didn’t rebound effectively from their zone vs. the Knicks in the playoffs. Any scramble-heavy or switch-heavy defense comes with its own rebounding challenges, too.
By and large, defenses that force inefficient first shots (and turnovers) should still make sense for the Sixers. Still, the team ranked 26th last season in defensive rebounding rate and then allowed three Knicks to grab over 20 offensive rebounds across a six-game series. Drummond should help, but the Sixers need to do whatever’s necessary to avoid a similar story for the 2024-25 season.