Sixers’ role players are peaking at the right time

By Christopher Kline | Apr 4, 2018

PHILADELPHIA,PA - MARCH 19 : Marco Belinelli #18 of the Philadelphia 76ers is interviewed after the win against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center on March 19, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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) /

The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten much-needed contributions from their role players in Joel Embiid’s absence.

When Markelle Fultz‘s shoulder collided with Joel Embiid‘s face last week, the Philadelphia 76ers‘ fanbase was understandably concerned. A team competing for home-court advantage losing its best player and an arguable top-10 MVP candidate is never ideal.

Since then, however, the Sixers have looked good — like, really good. Albeit against low-level teams, Philly has gone 3-0 in Embiid’s absence, stretching their season-long win streak to 11 games. That’s the Sixers’ longest win streak since the 1989-90 season. It’s worth noting that Dario Saric has missed two of those games as well.

Ben Simmons has and will continue to get the majority of the credit for their recent success. He looks like one of the top-30 players in the league, not to mention the best rookie. His ability to push the pace, read the floor and pass players open is what makes the offense tick.

More from Sixers News

But there were eight players who scored in double-digits against Brooklyn on Tuesday night. Simmons wasn’t listed in the box score eight times.

With Embiid out, the entire Sixers’ roster has turned it up a notch. Fultz’s return generated a noticable spark, while Amir Johnson continues to make sizable contributions as the starting center. Richaun Holmes is getting minutes too, so everybody’s happy.

On the perimeter, Philly’s shot-makers have been doing just that. Marco Belinelli‘s shot selection will be forever questionable, but he has an undeniable knack for putting those awkward, off-balance jumpers through the net.

J.J. Redick and Robert Covington are balling as well. A lot of the Sixers’ biggest struggles this season have coincided with one of RoCo’s or J.J.’s cold spells. When those two are hitting shots, the whole offense seems to open up.

Must Read: Sixers fans frustrated over lack of center depth

Here are some of the notable per-game averages since Embiid went down:

J.J. Redick: 19.3 points, 50% 3PT, +11 (in 25.6 minutes)
Robert Covington: 13.0 points, 4.0 steals, 1.3 blocks, +16.7 (in 28.6 minutes)
Marco Belinelli: 16.7 points, +12 (in 28.4 minutes)
Ersan Ilyasova: 16.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, +6.3 (in 28.3 minutes)
Amir Johnson: 2.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, +13 (in 23 minutes)
Markelle Fultz: 8.0 points, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steal (in 18.6 minutes)

On top of that, Fultz looks capable of playing legitimate minutes in the playoffs. He still can’t shoot threes — which might hinder the Fultz-Simmons pairing — but exploring ways to get him more minutes makes sense.

T.J. McConnell has been struggling as of late and is far more limited, both offensively and defensively, than the reigning No. 1 overall pick. Shifting some of his minutes over to Fultz might be worth it, both short and long term.

Regardless of how Brett Brown handles the backup point guard situation, the overarching theme remains the same: the whole rotation, not just Ben Simmons, is stepping up in a big way with Embiid on the sidelines.

Next: Can the Sixers bring another championship to Philly?

If that trend continues into postseason play, the Sixers can make some serious noise. The Raptors have fallen off lately, the Celtics are injured, and the Cavaliers are a bad defensive team. The door, ever so slightly, is open.