The Sixers’ offense looks simple-sometimes like no play at all-yet Nick Nurse has engineered a 22-16 start by weaponizing mismatches in isolation rather than running ornate sets.
At a Glance
- The Sixers rank 13th in offensive rating (114.8) and 14th in made threes
- Nurse’s scheme centers on hunting mismatches for Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George, and rookie VJ Edgecombe
- Maxey’s turbo-charged ball-screen attack has become the hub, while Embiid now finishes possessions instead of initiating them
- Why it matters: The roster’s constant availability swings force Nurse to lean on individual brilliance over complex continuity
Nurse’s core belief-born from Toronto’s 2019 title run-is that elite isolation scorers can warp defenses without elaborate choreography. He surrounded Kawhi Leonard with Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Kyle Lowry, isolated the weakest defender, and lived with the result. The Sixers’ current cast fits the same mold.
Maxey headlines the operation. A single high ball screen-often on an empty side to erase help-lets him attack a plodding big or bully a smaller guard. His straight-line burst plus abrupt deceleration leaves defenders guessing between rim runs and pull-up threes. When teams blitz, the screener’s defender is forced to switch, creating the mismatch that produced Edgecombe’s game-winner in Memphis after Memphis tried hiding Ja Morant on the rookie.
The guard’s improved playmaking has turned the simplest action into a cascade of options. He has used 12 different teammates as screeners this season, from Embiid to two-way center Adem Bona, confident the ensuing four-on-three will yield a clean look.
Embiid’s role has evolved. Once the post-up engine who captured a scoring title and MVP, the center now operates at the nail or short roll, catching passes from Maxey once an advantage is created. The tweak reduces the physical toll of constant double teams while still leveraging his 7-foot frame against mismatches late in the shot clock.
Availability chaos has validated Nurse’s minimalist approach. When Maxey sits, the pace plummets into Embiid’s deliberate half-court ballet; when both share the floor, the tempo flips to frenetic. Rather than install new sets each week, Nurse tweaks spacing and matchups, betting that isolation excellence beats defensive indecision.
The Sixers have already weathered the 2024-25 disaster narrative. If the simplified, mismatch-hunting offense survives the spring crucible, Nurse’s playbook may never need the complexity fans keep demanding.
