Philadelphia 76ers: Marco Belinelli, the good and the bad

How the Philadelphia 76ers deploy Marco Belinelli in the playoffs is worth keeping an eye on.

No Joel Embiid, no problem. For the Philadelphia 76ers, that has been a common theme of late, rocketing off five consecutive wins in his absence. That extends Philly’s win streak to 13, the longest active streak in the NBA.

The 13th win came against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, moving the Sixers to third place in the East. They now officially control their own destiny, with a chance to play the Kyrie Irving-less Celtics in the second round.

There aren’t any guarantees yet, but the Sixers look like a team that’s fully capable of making a run to the conference finals. They might not be “favorites” to do so, but they have the talent, momentum and coaching needed to enter that discussion.

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Part of the reason for their recent success has been the bench, with the additions of Marco Belinelli, Ersan Ilyasova and most recently Markelle Fultz helping the Sixers mitigate their biggest weakness.

Belinelli has been especially effective, averaging 14.8 points and shooting 43.1 percent from deep during the Sixers’ 13-game win streak. Those stats weren’t updated after the Cleveland win, but he poured in 23 points and hit on six of his 12 three-point attempts in that game, according to Basketball Reference.

On the whole, Belinelli has been a positive since joining the Sixers. He’s normally the first guy off the bench, staying in constant motion on the perimeter and making smart cuts to the rim. Much like J.J. Redick, his shooting prowess and ability to find open spots on the floor opens up a lot for the offense.

That has been crucial in the improvement of Philadelphia’s bench. Earlier in the season, it was tough to find rhythm with Jerryd Bayless and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot filling that role. Neither pose the off-ball threat that Belinelli does, while their shooting isn’t nearly as reliable.

Belinelli is, despite what some fans might say, a good player. He’s also somebody who deserves significant minutes now, in the playoffs, and next season if his re-signs.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t flawed, though. He does have some pretty glaring weaknesses that opposing teams — especially in the postseason — will look to exploit as often as possible. That starts on the defensive end.

Marco has to be one of the least athletic players in the league. He’s isn’t long, explosive nor quick, making him a prime target for most opposing coaches. In Friday night’s game, the Cavs made a concerted effort to get Belinelli switched onto LeBron James as often as possible.

If you watched the game, you know how those possessions ended. If you didn’t watch the game, you still know how those possessions ended.

Belinelli is an perpetual liability on the defensive end, and sometimes that offsets all the good things he does offensively. It took the Sixers way too long to adjust to those Belinelli-LeBron switches Friday night, so that’s something Brown will need to address once the playoffs start.

He can also be a bit turnover-prone on the other end when confronted with length. Belinelli, being the limited athlete that he is, can’t always dribble (or pass) his way out of high-pressure defense or traps on the perimeter.

Again, he’s somewhat similar to Redick in that respect — a shooter who, once forced away from his shot, can’t do much else with the basketball. If a pass isn’t readily available, there’s a chance that things go south.

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Nonetheless, that’s a secondary concern. How the Sixers mask Belinelli’s defense will play a much bigger role in their ability to compete with upper-level teams in the playoffs.