Toronto Raptors: Previewing a season-long battle with the Philadelphia 76ers

Raptors offense vs. 76ers defense

A showdown of the best parts of both teams, the Raptors offense vs. Sixers defense should be fun for all parties involved.

Philadelphia finished last season with the third-ranked defense in the NBA, allowing just 103.8 points per 100 possessions. The defense is spearheaded by their two superstars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, as well as, scrappy veteran Robert Covington.

On the perimeter, Covington and Simmons provide the 76ers with two gigantic forwards they can unleash on opposing backcourts. Constant pressure by long, rangy defenders is tiresome for any offense. By the fourth quarter, Simmons and Covington take their toll.

J.J. Redick isn’t a good or even average defender, but he knows where to be and is relatively competent chasing opponents around screens. Philly will place him on the Toronto’s weakest scoring guard and dare them to constantly involve their fifth option in offensive sets.  Swap him out for Fultz, and you Philly gets another athletic defender to hound opposing backcourts.

If somehow you manage to shake their tenacious perimeter defense, congrats you get Joel Embiid. Embiid finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and is one of the league’s best deterrents around the rim.

More than anything else, Philadelphia is gigantic. In a league gone small, their size clogs the paint and forces opponents to hit outside shots.

Toronto will attempt to do just that. Serge Ibaka will drift around the three-point line, keeping Joel Embiid away from the rim while the rest of the offense motions and screens in order to shake those athletic, long defenders.

Constant motion, transition offense, and perimeter shot-making will all be apart of the Raptors gameplan. If those areas don’t work, Nurse might need to get creative in finding other ways to manufacture scoring.