Philadelphia 76ers having the making of a defensive second unit

The Philadelphia 76ers are competing for a championship and on top of that, they have the potential to have a very potent defensive second unit.

Due to injuries, the Philadelphia 76ers second unit is considered a weakness of the team. It’s not because they can’t score, Landry Shamet, Furkan Korkmaz and Mike Muscala can all stretch the floor very well. However, outside of Muscala, nobody previously mentioned is even an average defender.

Having a second unit that struggles on defense has hampered the Sixers so far this season, however once everyone on the roster is healthy the team has a chance to role out a defensive minded second unit.

Right now Justin Patton, Zhaire Smith and Markelle Fultz are all rehabbing from injury. Patton is recovering from a foot injury he suffered from before being included in the Jimmy Butler trade. Smith had been dealing with setbacks during his rehab, but now there is a plan for his recovery and Fultz is getting physical therapy since it was finally figured out what is wrong with his shoulder.

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Each of those players combined with current backup point guard T.J. McConnell, who is playing due to Fultz’s injury, and reserve Jonah Bolden could create a defensive juggernaut of a second unit. Assuming that Fultz will be able to shoot outside shots without problems once he returns from physical therapy, then there’s a strong chance that he and McConnell can man the reserve backcourt without dealing with spacing issues that plagued the duo early on in the season.

Defensively, McConnell has proven throughout his career to be a pest on defense and being able to get into passing lanes. Fultz has shown flashes of elite defensive potential early this season based with his physical skills.

The frontcourt of Smith, Bolden and Patton have the potential to be straight up scary. In college, Smith shot 3-pointers at 45.0 percent and Patton shot them at 53.3 percent. Granted neither player shot them at a high volume, but it shows promise. Bolden has shown in limited time in the NBA that he can hit the occasional shot from downtown as well, but offensively he would be this groups weak point.

It’s on defense where these three could cause havoc. Both Bolden and Smith have the ability to switch on multiple positions defensively. In receiving on average just six minutes per game this season, Bolden is averaging 0.4 steals. Both Smith and Patton were legit shot blockers in college as well. All three have high defensive ceilings based on their length and potential.

This isn’t to say that Philly should exclusively roll out with this defensive second unit, when relying on the bench. Patton will be a free agent this upcoming offseason and there’s a chance that the Sixers don’t bring him back. However, if they do, preferably on a team friendly deal, then he could be a great asset. These young players may need time, but its undeniable that the Sixers bench has a lot of defensive upside in possibly its present and future.

As stated at the beginning of this article, players like Mike Muscala and Landry Shamet provide much needed floor spacing. Muscala has shown the ability to defend based on his recent game against the Detroit Pistons and Shamet’s offensive potential/skills outweighs his defensive short comings.

It’s players like Korkmaz, who’s streaky offense and bad defense, along with an aging Amir Johnson that are severally hurting the Sixers defense. Head coach Brett Brown should pair Muscala with Bolden or Patton (when healthy) instead of Johnson on defense. Paring Shamet with either Fultz or Smith should help cover the sharp shooters defensive weaknesses.

The Philadelphia 76ers already have the players to make a stronger defensive second unit. Patton, Smith and Fultz all have high defensive upsides and once they are healthy, they should be given the chance to contribute. As Co-Site Expert of The Sixer Sense, Christopher Kline had already suggested in his article, Bolden also deserves a chance at playing time as well. While these players are young, they could help bring defensive stability to the second unit.