Put an Emphasis on Stopping Teams in Transition Defensively

The loss of Ben Simmons is going to affect this Philadelphia 76ers team greatly not necessarily on offense, but on defense. The 76ers ranked second in the NBA in net defensive rating last season and Simmons was one of the main contributors for them on this end of the court. 

Philadelphia still has Matisse Thybulle, who is growing into one of the most underrated defenders in the NBA, so he could definitely fill a void left behind by Ben Simmons, but ultimately, this team will have to put an emphasis on stopping teams from running in transition. 

The Sixers gave up the second-most points in transition/fast break last season and this really hurt them in the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, who averaged roughly 10.0 points per game in fast-break opportunities in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

Fixing their transition defense must be something the 76ers address with or without Ben Simmons a part of their roster, but without him, they will really need to focus on getting back on defense with a less athletic team. According to Cleaning the Glass, the 76ers gave up 122.0 points per 100 transition plays last season, ranking them seventh in the NBA. 

LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Joel Embiid Sounds Off On Ben Simmons Amid Holdout

Defending in the halfcourt is one thing, but if the Philadelphia 76ers cannot fix the fact that teams take advantage of them in transition, there is no way they will be able to contend for a title.

Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are great offensive talents in their own rights, but if they themselves are not better, along with the rest of this team on defense, then the Sixers are just set up for most postseason disappointment.