Ideal end-of-game lineups for the Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled down the stretch of games, so a change in the rotation could do the team some good moving forward.

After falling apart in the final two minutes of Wednesday night’s matchup with the Houston Rockets, the Philadelphia 76ers now sit with a record of 1-4 thus far. Not being able to close out winnable games has been a recurring theme this season, as the Sixers were also in position to beat the Wizards and Celtics before late-game meltdowns.

The Sixers held fourth quarter leads in both of those games, yet like the Rockets game, they finished with two losses. This team has proven that they are capable of competing with the best teams in the league, but their youth becomes blatantly obvious in late-game scenarios.

In order to finish tight games with a win, a change in the rotation needs to occur. Here is the best offensive and defensive lineup the team should have on the court in crunch time.

Offense

• G — T.J. McConnell
• G — J.J. Redick
• F — Robert Covington
• F — Ben Simmons
• C — Joel Embiid

Offensively, the only difference from the starting lineup to the end-of-game lineup is the substitution of Jerryd Bayless for T.J. McConnell. Bayless’s decision making has been questionable to end games, and has made too many mistakes to brush off. His costly turnover against the Wizards at the end of the game sealed the team’s loss on opening night, and his decision to drive into a swarm of defenders against the Rockets led to the team losing at the buzzer on the final shot by Eric Gordon.

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Inserting T.J. McConnell would eliminate the stagnant crunch time offense the Sixers have had down the stretch of close games. The ball was placed in Ben Simmons hands on many of the final possessions, and more often than not he just dribbled out the clock before finding a teammate for a contested shot to beat the shot clock buzzer. McConnell’s presence will influence more ball movement, creating better opportunities for points.

Redick remains in the game because of his ability to stretch the floor. As one of the elite shooters in the NBA, his presence will draw attention wherever the team puts him, which opens things up for Embiid to work the post and Simmons to attack the basket.

Covington should be in the game for similar reasons, as he has been shooting a scorching hot 48.6 percent from three thus far. Not only does he provide another deep threat, but he has also proven to be a sneakily good cutter off the ball, and has the ability to chase down missed shots and finish put-backs.

Simmons and Embiid remain in the game for obvious reasons, as they are the two that should be running the show down the stretch. What needs to happen moving forward that didn’t happen against the Rockets is that Joel Embiid HAS to touch the ball on almost every possession to end the game. He is the team’s far and away best scorer, and the team should have enough confidence in him to beat any single-team to get a bucket.