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Shout out to Liberty Ballers community member gramercy riffs, who has already made a fanpost about a Sixers intrasquad fantasy draft. We’re tweaking his idea a bit and putting the draft to a community vote in this exercise.
After some self-inflicted confusion regarding the fourth pick, the end result was the same: Tobias Harris and Al Horford have teamed up on the Sixers Blue squad. Big Al received 79 percent of the most recent vote, with Josh Richardson the only other player to land in double figures.
This hypothetical Harris-Horford pairing should be an interesting one to watch in real life as well. Both players are shifting down a spot within the projected starting lineup from what many people might consider to be their optimal positions (Tobi to the 3 instead of the 4, Al to the 4 instead of the 5). The duo will often be tasked with guarding smaller, quicker opposing players, and will also have to carry heavy loads to provide spacing in lineups alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Our Jackson Frank recently examined the potential of Harris, Horford, and Richardson together, in particular how Harris will have to reverse the narrative about his production at small forward.
Tobias Harris net rating by position:
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) August 9, 2019
2018-19 w/PHI
- SF: -7.1
- PF: +3.6
2018-19 w/LAC
- SF: -1.7
- PF: +5.4
Of course, Harris and Horford will also have plenty of opportunities to size up again when Embiid hits the bench. Going forward in this exercise, voters will have flexibility in whether to pair the duo with another big, or have this serve as the Blue squad’s 4-5 combo.
Next up is finding a running mate for Ben Simmons on the Sixers White squad. Josh Richardson remains the last remaining projected starter on the board. Partnering Philadelphia’s top two perimeter defenders (at least among players with some NBA experience) is certainly an appealing notion. Voters might also want to ensure the White squad gets another big now, though, to avoid Simmons being forced to bang with Embiid and Horford.
Sixers Red: Joel Embiid
Sixers White: Ben Simmons
Sixers Blue: Tobias Harris, Al Horford
Who should join Ben Simmons on Sixers White?
Poll
With the fifth pick, Sixers White selects:
This poll is closed
-
86%
Josh Richardson
-
5%
Mike Scott
-
0%
James Ennis
-
2%
Zhaire Smith
-
1%
Matisse Thybulle
-
3%
Kyle O’Quinn