5. Amir Johnson and Dario Saric split minutes at the five
With Richaun Holmes out and Embiid still limited, Brett Brown got creative with how he has filled those minutes. Amir Johnson played decent ball for 15 minutes, but gave up some of those backup center minutes to a Dario Saric/Ben Simmons duo in the frontcourt — a small ball option we’ve been asking for all summer.
The Sixers’ smaller group blitzed the Nets in preseason play, and continued that success Wednesday night. Saric was quiet overall — putting up just three points total — but the offense was noticeably more fluid with he shared the court with Simmons.
While there are some defensive issues when going small like that, the versatility and offensive benefits tend to outweigh them. Both Simmons and Saric are comfortable off the ball as well, allowing them to work off one another while having four capable shooters on the floor — all of whom are comfortable pushing the pace in transition.
Johnson had his moments, but seeing more of this Simmons/Saric rotation could be beneficial. There’s only so much time Simmons can spend without Embiid — which means Johnson will still play a big role — but small ball may be the preferable route when applicable.