Brett Brown must use situational basketball to settle Burke/Neto debate

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Back in the offseason, general manager Elton Brand needed to fill the void at backup point guard after T.J. McConnell signed a 2 year / $7,000,000 contract with Indiana. In doing so, he brought in both Raul Neto and Trey Burke via free agency. In doing so, Sixers’ fans have gone into a frenzy on who should be getting more playing time. However, let’s see who may actually deserve it.

The Road to Philly

Both Neto and Burke were drafted in the 2013 NBA draft, with Burke going ninth overall (Minnesota), as Neto fell to 47th (Atlanta). Neto was immediately traded to Utah during draft night, where he would spend his career prior to Philly.

Coming off of a career-high season in 2018-2019, it was a no brainier for Elton Brand. Neto was averaging 5.3 points and 2.5 assists (career-high), while converting 33.3 percent from the 3-point line last season. His career averages where 4.8 points and 1.9 assists, while making 37.7 of his 3-pointers. For a mere veteran’s minimum, Brand was getting a guy who is “an experienced and valuable veteran who is a tremendous passer with great court vision,” as he said when the signing was announced.

As for his counterpart, Trey Burke was the more interesting signing heading into this season. Burke was also traded on draft night, as he went to Utah along with Neto. Neto was sent down to the G-league, as Neto was given the chance at point guard for the Jazz. However, Philadelphia is Burke’s fifth NBA roster in his six seasons. Also coming in with a minimum contract, both of these options were low risk, high reward for coach Brown.

This season:

Over the course of the season so far, coach Brett Brown has gone through stretches of use with those two. To start the season, Brown was experimenting with a few things. We would see Josh Richardson handling back up point guard duties at times, but Neto was the first between him and Burke to come off the bench for Ben Simmons. Eventually, he gave Burke his first minutes on November 8th, where he played 36 combined minutes in two straight games.

Then, it ultimately went right back to Neto. Burke wouldn’t see his legit stretch of games until he played in 14 out of 15, a run that stretched from mid-December to mid-January. Then, Neto began to shine in his increased role with Josh Richardson being out for Philadelphia. These two each bring unique skill sets to the table, yet their numbers are fairly similar, with Neto playing in 17 more games, however.

Tale of the Tape:

Raul Neto

  • 40 games played, 4.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 11.2 min per game
  • Has played at least 10 minutes in 22 of his games (55% of them)
  • Has scored at least 10 points in four games, 19 is season-high
  • Two starts, 24-16 when he plays, 2.1 plus/minus
  • 2.6 turnovers per 36 min

Trey Burke

  • 23 games, played, 6.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 13.6 min per game
  • Has played at least 10 minutes in 17 of his games (74% of them)
  • Has scored at 10 points in six games, 21 is season-high
  • Zero starts, 13-10 when he plays, 7.8 plus/minus
  • 1.4 turnovers per 36 min

Eye Test:

Raul Neto has that calm natural demeanor. When he’s on the court, it’s more lowkey, as he gets the job done. He matches up on defense, and can slow down the tempo of the offense. Neto calmly drains threes, and is shooting 41.4% from deep. He may not show up on the stat sheet, but in most games, Raul is getting his job done.

The scary thing about Neto is his inconsistency. For example, Neto had the best game of his season on Tuesday night against the Warriors, where he scored a season-high 19, draining three of his five three-point attempts. He made the Sixers’ a better team when he was on the floor, showcasing a +15 plus/minus. In fact, Ben Simmons even encouraged Brett Brown to keep Neto in during the game.

But what does he do the following game?

Neto goes and lays a goose egg. He played 19 minutes, accumulating 0 points (0/6), 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls. Something we haven’t seen from Trey Burke when playing at least 12 minutes.

Trey Burke brings a different style to play by simply just watching him. Burke plays with a lot of energy, and can provide instant scoring off of the bench. He spreads the floor out and creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. His biggest flaw coming into the season was his defensive play, yet may be less of a detriment than Neto has been this season. His ability to provide that spark is light years beyond Raul:

Who Should It Be?

In the debate on who should play over who, the answer should be both. In fact, the question shouldn’t even be if the players should fight for that position; they should share it.

Coach Brett Brown may be controversial in his lineup decisions, but this is one that he has (mostly) correct. This season, he has been riding the hot hand between Burke and Neto. At the end of November, Brown discussed this pressing question among fans:

Some of itā€™s gut feel, some of itā€™s the notion that I donā€™t want one of my players to rot. I want to keep them alive, some of it for sure is matchups. Iā€™d say if you had to weight what I just said it would be tilted more towards like ā€˜how are we going to win?ā€™ Like where are we best suited to win? Itā€™s judged on all of those types of things.

Personally, this should not even be so much a discussion of “riding the hot hand,” or letting “the gym speak,” as Brown would say. Basketball is a game of catering to situations, which is exactly what BB needs to do. Obviously, if Neto scorches for 15 second-quarter points, leave him in. But if Neto has more turnovers than points, it should be Burke’s turn to hit the court.

Keeping both players fresh, yet modest is not a bad decision for coach. Come playoff time, both of these guys will need to be ready to go in case of an emergency. The tough part?

Figuring out which of the two will make the biggest impact down the home stretch of the season.

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports