Dec 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers resident of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey speaks with the media before a game against the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Somewhere between explaining the decision to salary-dump KJ Martin to get below the luxury tax line gain financial flexibility and telling people to squint to see the dreams of a parade down Broad Street this June, Daryl Morey actually paved an interesting vision - for both now and the future.
He made it clear when he spoke to reporters on Friday morning - the objective of trade season was to get younger and more dynamic.
So, his team mined the trade market for Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler, two young guards who will be restricted free agents this summer.
"We really love what we've added, primarily obviously Quentin Grimes was a key addition. We love his fit with Tyrese [Maxey], his ability to hit shots, his ability to be the primary defender of the guards on the perimeter," Morey explained.
"Jared [Butler] we see as someone who can really help us down the road, as well. He's still in the early stages of his career."
Morey claims Butler, a two-way contractor, is a big part of the Sixers' future and hopes to convert him to a standard NBA deal at some point.
We don't know a ton about either guy yet. According to Morey's words, we do know that the Sixers' trade deadline ushered in the future of guard play in Philadelphia.
"We do think Grimes fits both with Tyrese [Maxey] this season and then, as you go forward, we wanted one of our guards to be able to take the primary guard matchup. We felt like Quentin could do that, both with Jared [McCain] and Tyrese going forward," Morey said.
That's interesting.
Maxey is listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds on the NBA's official website.
McCain and Butler are both listed 6-foot-3. McCain is 195 pounds as a rookie. Butler is two pounds lighter.
Grimes can reach the top shelf, standing at 6-foot-4 and carrying 210 pounds.
Your first thought is to question the defensive viability of a backcourt staffed by that size.
Typically, you'd want your smallest guard to be, say, 6-foot-4. You'd want his partner to be a little taller.
But, there is a template for this to work. Look up and to the right a couple states on the map to Massachusetts.
Jrue Holiday is listed 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Derrick White 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. Payton Pritchard is shorter than both and heavier than White.
The problem is that the smallest guard of the Sixers' bunch is also one of their two best players. But, Morey doesn't see his size as a detriment.
"[Tyrese's] defense has materially improved, both eye test and data. That's so important to us," he said.
Morey admits that the personnel can beget defensive challenges. But, he believes in the group's viability.
"Definitely viable. I do think that kind of a structure creates defensive challenges. But, I do believe in Nick, one of his strengths is his ability, ball pressure," he explained.
"He can get that out of even guys that might be thought of as challenged defensively. I know Tyrese was maybe thought of that way, and this year, I think, shows what he can do."
He's right. Ball pressure will be a tentpole of their defensive perseverance. They're going to need to extend pressure high on the floor, denying driving lanes some 30 feet away. No, that won't win out every possession. A rugged ball screen will come. Teams will target the "little" guy on switches. They will notice the big in drop coverage and try to make the guard chase through the screen.
It will take will. It will take agility and strength. It will take leveraging low centers of gravity.
The Sixers will have to emphasize off-ball pressure, too. Passing lanes will have to be prey.
The risk is a trade-off that might just be all too worth it. Philadelphia desperately needs to take some of the weight off Maxey's shoulders, now and in the future. The guys they brought in pack valuable offensive punch.
The risk will be reduced if they can get some consistency from their back line of defense.
"And then also, look, Joel is a pretty big force. One of the reasons our defense has taken a big step back is when you have a ball pressure defense but you don't have the Joel Embiid behind, or even Drummond - who's been out so much, as well - that really puts a lot of pressure on your defense," Morey said.
"That's been one of our big issues."
We can all drink to that.
