The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers must tall ball to NBA Playoffs

By Bret Stuter

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Dario Saric , Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia Sixers pose for portraits before the Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Dario Saric , Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia Sixers pose for portraits before the Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers must begin to strategize for their upcoming NBA Playoff debut. Winning then means the team must prepare tall ball now

Tall ball. The almost fantasy GM concept of flooding the basketball court with the tallest players on the roster. Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers have a version of that tall ball we used to imagine and hope for. And they are incredibly effective.  The lineup? 7-foot-2 center Joel Emibiid, 6-foot-10 power forward Dario Saric, 6-foot-9 small forward Robert Covington, 6-foot-4 shooting guard J.J. Redick, and 6-foot-10 point guard Ben Simmons.

That lineup is significant in two ways. First, it is the lineup which has the fifth most playing minutes of any NBA 5-man lineup. Secondly, it it darned effective. Per NBA.come/Stats, that five man squad has an offensive rating of 115.6 (second only to that of Golden State) and a defensive rating of 98.5 (second only to that of Oklahoma City).  To summarize, it’s one of the most effective NBA starting lineups going right now.

Need to find the reserve center now

The 76ers are one of the NBA’s best first quarter teams as a result. But the team soon returns to earth as the bench begins to rotate in.  That happens with all NBA teams, but for the 76ers, the difference in play is dramatic. Philadelphia 76ers fans know that the moment Joel Embiid steps away from the basketball court and walks to the bench, the team’s performance drops.  That was one of the reasons I pointed out 10 free agents to target upon trading Jahlil Okafor away. Now with the team on the hunt for the best playoff seeding possible, the ability to test various lineups appears to be somewhat limited.

But the team is nebulous when it comes to the first man off the bench to cover duties at the center position. Dario Saric has seen time there. The team rotated Amir Johnson at center. Richaun Holmes gets looks at the five. And now, with the return of Ersan Ilyasova, they are platooning him to five as well. Right now, the team needs to focus on the backup center and get him as many minutes at the five as possible. Now.

Leverage the altitude into attitude

There are few, if any, NBA Eastern Conference teams with a better front court than Embiid Saric and Covington. And while there may be better scoring backcourts, the pairing of Simmons and Redick creates a host of mismatches to potential NBA playoff opponents. Those mismatches must be leveraged, and identified now.

Next: Can Philadelphia 76ers do better than 6-seed?

These 76ers are making a playoff run, despite turnovers, free throw shooting inaccuracy, and fouling because their big men outnumber and out play other NBA teams’ big men. Tall ball got the Philadelphia 76ers this far. Now is the do or die time for players like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Richaun Holmes. Test their effectiveness in games likely to win, and determine just how much they can give the team at shooting guard and power forward respectively. Create and stick with size advantages. Tall ball is the Philadelphia 76ers answer to small ball. It’s time to take it out for a test spin.