The Sixers gained a dependable floor general when they acquired Ish Smith two weeks ago. Brett Brown, though, would like to see leadership come from the frontcourt of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor.
To him, it has more to do with a player’s role than the position he plays. The top six draft picks are the Sixers' most touted pieces, and with that comes the added responsibility of leading the team on the court.
The issue was magnified during Thursday’s 126-98 loss to the Hawks when the Sixers failed to respond to a game-changing first-half run.
“We all sort of looked around at each other and we can’t do that,” Brown said after practice on Friday. “I put it right on Nerlens' and Jahlil’s doorstep. As things are happening, they can’t be quiet. They have to find ways to lead. We’re all built differently. We all don’t have to have the personality of Ish Smith. It can’t all be on a point guard and a coaching staff. Your higher-ranking players, your higher-profile players, your higher-drafted players have to grow to be leaders.”
Brown pointed to the Sixers' transition defense against the Hawks — which he described as “whatever is a little bit below horrible" — as an area where Noel and Okafor should have made more of an impact. He wanted to see his bigs get back more, and then react stronger when the Hawks connected.
“Every score is a problem. I wish they felt like that and saw the game like that,” said Brown. “I know games aren’t won 16 to 14, but still you don’t just dust off scores. It’s got to be a little bit painful.”
Brown understands the turnaround won’t happen overnight. Noel and Okafor are 21 and 20, respectively, and don’t have the loudest demeanors on the team. He would like to see them incorporate “grumpiness” and “competitiveness” into their personalities. He also doesn’t want them to hesitate to pull a teammate aside to address what’s happening on the floor.
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“We definitely should have been a lot more vocal, especially myself being a third-year guy on this team,” Noel said. “Just always asserting yourself, never taking a backseat and just letting the game form into that. There are ways of being a leader by going on the court and actually doing it and leading by example, or using vocals, or a mixture of both. I think I have to continue to be more vocal with my guys and play with more energy as the game goes on.”
Brown believes in holding one another accountable and is opposed to the “my bad” mentality. He pointed out how often he calls timeouts, stopping the game to regroup. Brown would like his players to develop into being able to make these adjustments on their own without having to hear it from the coaching staff.
“I burn through timeouts more than any time in my career,” he said. “I don’t want to have to do that all the time. I’d like to have a team grab each other at a free throw and say, ‘Hey! Who was that in transition defense?’ or, ‘Whose rotation was that?’ The better teams that I’ve been around, they look at each other and they can tell, ‘That’s me’ or ‘That should’ve been you.’ Sometimes hard words are had. It’s not like the team doesn’t get along. It’s just a family, it’s competitive pro sports.”
Brown points to himself to teach them these skills early on in their careers. He has a vision of how Noel and Okafor will grow into leaders and isn’t going to abandon that outlook.
“It’s on me to extract it and coach it and tell them and show them and not let it go, if that’s what I really want,” Brown said. “And that’s what I want.”