1. Bench production
Last season, the Sixers won 16 straight heading into the playoffs. Then, after beating Miami in five, most pundits dubbed Philadelphia heavy favorites over Boston in the conference semis. The Eastern Conference, in many eyes, was Philadelphia’s for the taking.
That notion didn’t last long, obviously, as Boston pulled out the series in five hard-fought games. Philadelphia held the clear edge in talent, but maddening mistakes and clear roster flaws sealed their fate.
It was somewhat surprising given how well the Sixers’ second unit played up until that point. Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova lit the NBA ablaze, shooting the Sixers to wins and carrying the second unit after securing buyouts from Atlanta.
The Celtics series exposed the Sixers’ lack of perimeter defense in the second unit, an issue the Sixers didn’t exactly fit over the summer. Jimmy Butler helps when it comes to on-ball defense, but the Philadelphia bench might be the worst of any NBA contender.
Mike Muscala, T.J. McConnell, Landry Shamet and Furkan Korkmaz are all prone to mismatches against the Celtics’ high-octane second unit. Jonah Bolden and Shake Milton help on paper, but probably aren’t ready for a nationally-televised meeting with Boston.
Right now, the Celtics are bringing Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown off the bench. While both are struggling relative to preseason expectations, they’re still significantly better than the Sixers’ current supporting cast. Terry Rozier and Daniel Theis are also good.
If the Sixers want to challenge Boston, the second unit needs to step up in a big way. McConnell needs to channel his postseason magic, Shamet needs to post another big shooting night, and Muscala can’t miss open looks on the perimeter.
The game takes place at 5:30 PM E.T. on ABC.