Top 5 Reasons Why to Watch the 76ers

Top 5 Reasons Why to Watch the Sixers... for the average Sixer fan...

1. The emergence of Andre Iguodala: the emergence of this SG/SF could easily make his first Allstar game of his career if he continues to display what he showed after the trade. What impressed me the most out of Iguodala was his understanding of his own physical assets. Iguodala took a page out of AI's notebook to realize how unstoppable he can be if he attacks the net on a consistent basis. Simply put, Iguodala's ball handling, passing, rebounding and scoring sky rocketed when Andre Miller came to the Sixers. Playing along side a pure point guard in Andre Miller resulted in exactly what I expected, a type of offense that plays to Iggy's strengths such as his all around game. With McNabb on his way out and the city looking for a new superstar to become enamored with, look at Jimmy Rollins! Iggy is about to make his case as one of the best swingman in the entire NBA.

2. The Excitement Factor: Make no mistake about it, this may not be a team that leads the league in wins, but this Sixers roster should at least but one hell of a team to watch. BK has built this roster around one thing, athleticism. Carney, Iggy, Jason Smith, Dalembert, Thaddeus Young, and Louis Williams are all top notch athletes who excel at running the court and finishing. The Sixers may not be the best rebounding team, but I gurantee you this team will be looking to push the tempo often and to much success. All fed by Andre Miller, there's really not much else to be said about the quickness of this roster and the alley oops will be plenty. The Sixers should be a fun team to watch this season.

3. Getting Back to Fundamentals: When AI was here, this team had zero identity to make them a worthwhile team in the NBA. This team was sloppy, a mess, pathetic. The addition of Andre Miller has taken this team back to respectability with how they approach the game of basketball: fundamentals. This Sixers' fan will finally be able to watch his favorite team without the surplus of heartache that was these past 5-6 years. In fact, this could easily be number one on my list. For someone who enjoys watching every single Sixer game like myself, and with the Eagles struggling so early, I need a Sixer team that is based on fundamentals lol. This team showed a lot of heart and hustle in the second half of the season and I look forward to seeing that same determination this season.

4. The Rooks: The rookies BK has brought in has me excited. The addition of Thaddeus Young, Jason Smith, Derrick Byars and Herbert Hill will seriously trim the fat of a very poor roster in terms of depth. They may not be where they will be in a few years, but these 4 draft picks were excellent picks in my opinion. Why? They're natural born leaders, they're winners, they're smart kids, they love to play team basketball and they continually emphasize defense. Neither one should get major minutes this season, but their progress this season will be closely monitored all season long. Main points to watch for: Thaddeus Young and his ability to rebound. Jason Smith and his ability to hit the mid range jumper. Derrick Byars and his all around game. Herbert Hill and his back to the basket game.

5. The insertion of Thaddeus Young in the Starting Lineup: Nothing has me more psyched to see Thaddeus Young alongside Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala. Why? Pound for pound Thaddeus Young may already be the most physical player the Sixers have on the roster. Thaddeus Young's ability to defend and rebound is a perfect complement to Andre Iguodala who will be guarding the opposing team's best swingman. What I love about Thaddeus is his ability to play inside the paint. He has excellent hands around the rim, making him an extremely valuable in getting offensive rebounds and putbacks. The future of the Sixers rests in the development and chemistry of Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala, and while I hope Rodney Carney has success as the temp starting 2 guard as of right now, Young should definitely be registering significant minutes in the second half of this season. The chemistry between the two physical swingmen Young and Iggy will be one to watch for. I'm hoping they learn to feed off of each other's strengths this season.

Other Top Nominees

- Reggie Evans and team rebounding
- Carney as the new Sixers' starting two guard
- Dalembert ability to show consistency following an excellent season