What the first half of the season has shown about Nick Nurse's offensive scheme originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

So much is made from fans and commenters that Nick Nurse doesn’t run any plays, that he’s taking a lazy approach to calling the Sixers offense.

Now nearing the halfway point of the season, the Sixers have posted a middling offensive rating (114.8), ranking 13th in the league, while shooting the 15th-most threes, making the 14th-most and not excelling in any specific statistic so far.

There are fair criticisms of the job Nurse has done so far this season but let’s dive into what the ideas are behind the offense.

Nurse’s main offensive philosophy lies in creating mismatches in isolation, something that helped him elevate the Raptors from early round playoff purgatory into NBA Champions.

The 2019 champion Raptors had a slew of isolation scoring experts.

Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Fred Van Vleet, and Kyle Lowry all excelled at their individual shot making.

Putting them in positions to succeed was something Nurse leaned on for his offense.

Creating mismatches by getting his guards isolating opposing bigs, or identifying the weak defensive link for Leonard and Siakam to exploit, the Raptors were able to create advantages on offense with their given offensive skill sets.

While Nurse also had set plays to get easier looks for shooters, or open looks at the rim, he also understood that the offensive firepower in the NBA can be unleashed in isolation.

This offensive strategy would not work with every NBA team. A certain roster build is necessary that includes several gifted scorers who are capable on the defensive end. Players who are upper tier athletes who won’t back down from moments where the focus is solely on them.

Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe are four players that Nurse loves to put in the same isolation situations.

All four guys (wild that one of them is a rookie) are able to get their own shot against defenders.

While fans clamor for Nurse to “run more plays” (something he does a lot of already and something we will dive into in the future), oftentimes the best offense can come just from putting one of the aforementioned Sixers in an isolation that favors them.

The concepts on offense don’t have to be complex. With the right players it can look like nothing is happening. The simplicity of the ball screen has stayed in the NBA for as long as it has because it’s so effective.

A simple ball screen to get Maxey onto a big man on the perimeter, or to get Embiid the ball deep in the post against a much smaller player can be all you need.

Nurse also runs a fair number of “empty side” ball screens, to eliminate any help defense that can come from the baseline. This helps Maxey and Embiid work in ample space and use their prowess to carve defenses.

The true speed bump for Nurse’s offense has been the changing availability up and down the roster.

The pace of the offense changes violently depending on which players are available. It can be the frantic, blazing offense commanded by Maxey, or the methodical, all-eyes-on-me offense that Embiid has anchored for several seasons now.

The Maxey offense is wild. It’s fast. It’s fun. It’s something Philadelphia hasn’t seen in a long long time and it’s a change of pace turned up to the highest notch.

Maxey could well be one of the twitchiest players the league has seen, blending his straight line quickness with deceleration that confounds defenders and leaves them guessing if they should try to follow him to the rim, or try to retreat with him to the three point line.

His improved playmaking has elevated his teammates as oftentimes, more than one defender is needed to stop the simplest of Maxey isolations.

It’s a tough ask to find another player who has his combination of speed, shooting, handle, strength, flexibility, and overall burst.

Play too close and he goes right around you.

Take a step back, he shoots right over you.

But a bigger defender on him? He’s too fast for them.

Put a quicker guard on him? He’s too strong for them!

Although Maxey’s Most Improved Player Award from 2023-24 sits somewhere in his home, you could argue this current season has been the true breakout as Maxey ascends towards super stardom.

Maxey gives Nurse’s offense movement with the ball in his point guard’s hand. His breaking down of defenses opens passing windows, cutting lanes, and shooting opportunities for himself and others.

Maxey has run ball screen actions with several players as his screener this season. Embiid, Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow, Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes. Jared McCain, Trendon Watford, Kelly Oubre (ok basically the whole roster) have been involved in screening for Maxey.

Teams will throw their best guard and wing defenders on Maxey or give him different looks to try to slow him down.

While this can work to an extent, the lesser defender on the screener can get switched onto Maxey.

The most notable so far was on Edgecombe’s game winner in Memphis. The Grizzlies attempt to hide a weaker defender Ja Morant on Edgecombe.

The Sixers put him in the ball screen action to force him and the Grizzlies into a decision with quick communication.

The Grizzlies decide to blitz Maxey who finds Edgecombe with an open shot for the lead.

VJ EDGECOMBE GAME-WINNER.

WHAT A CLUTCH SHOT BY THE ROOKIE 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9AhyF5E43B

— NBA (@NBA) December 31, 2025

Given that Maxey has taken such another huge leap, the offensive hub that has been Embiid for seasons on end seemed to be dwindling to an end.

That was until the recent surge of play that looks as close to the Embiid of old as we have seen in some time.

This offense has been predicated on Embiid operating out of the post, trying to find cutters when he’s double teamed, drawing fouls on defenders reaching, and scoring on practically everyone who faces him.

This style led him to a scoring title, MVP, and a staple as the top points scorer in the league.

As injuries continue to beat him down, he can no longer be the initiator of the offense.

The physical toll of his style of play draws too much contact for his body.

Putting him against smaller defenders later in the possession is something that can extend his longevity.

With Maxey now leading the offense and controlling the ball, Embiid has transitioned to more of a decoy and play finisher for the first time in a long time.

Nurse’s offense doesn’t give Embiid as many post ups as before. He’s now operating in the middle of the floor near the free throw line, often receiving a pass from Maxey who has created an advantage.

Trusting his offensive players to capitalize on the smallest of advantages may not be the flashiest offense, but Nurse and Maxey have led the Sixers to a 22-16 start in a season that had the potential to repeat the abject failure of the 2024-25 season.

If the simplicity of the offense can sustain for the rest of the season and into the spring time will be the true test to see what Nurse has up his sleeve.

While the main philosophy of Nurse’s offense relies on these mismatches and tiny advantages, there are several other sets Nurse runs to give his players a favorable chance to score.

More on Nurse’s offense will come in the following weeks.