Boyd: Sixers Training Camp Roster Shows Signs Of A Real Team
By Ray Boyd
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Sixers training camp opens on September, 29 and the camp will open with a new sense of optimism about the group. "This Starts Now," was the slogan the team used to advertise the upcoming season and many fans are eager to find out just what "this," is.
The team unveiled their new ad campaign for this season, "Revolution Is Our Name," which likens the young crop to the original colonies striving to gain their independence from Great Britain despite being heavy underdogs.
Whether or not this team has that type of ability in them, they will carry that attitude. They are young. They are hungry and they appear ready to show the first signs of being something that has a real future. Brett Brown has echoed all off-season that he is ready for his roster to not be a revolving door.
The first step in that, is deciding who will be on the team. The full roster for training camp is below:
Point Guards (6): Isaiah Canaan, Tony Wroten, Kendall Marshall, T.J. McConnell, Scottie Wilbekin, Pierre Jackson
Shooting Guards (4): Nik Stauskas, Hollis Thompson, J.P. Tokoto, Jordan McRae
Small Forwards (3): JaKarr Sampson, Robert Covington, Jerami Grant
Power Forwards (4): Carl Landry, Furkan Aldemir, Richaun Holmes, Christian Wood
Centers (3): Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid
This is a team still filled with question marks, but those question marks seem to be dwindling a little bit.
You now have a cornerstone scorer on your roster in Okafor. There is a lot to be said for having a big man you can dump the ball down into it when the offense breaks down.
You have shooting depth now with Canaan, Stauskas, Thompson and Covington. Imagine all four of them on the floor at the same time in a space it out, offense with Okafor in the middle to pass it into to.
You have a defense anchored by two near 7-footers in the lane; Okafor to simply take up space and change shots, and Noel to block shot attempts like he did as a rookie.
There is still a long way to go with this group, but they are looking more and more like an actually basketball team and that is something that should have Brown excited.
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