Closely approaching the Feb. 7th trade deadline and the Philadelphia 76ers remain atop the Eastern Conference, but are there trade targets that can help?
Residing at fourth place within the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers intend to surpass the third place Indiana Pacers, recently deprived of their offensive and defensive focal point, Victor Olapido. In the midst of yet another above average statistical season, the Sixers are exploring options that could potentially bolster their lacking bench. 76ers head coach Brett Brown essentially echoed reports that the Sixers are aggressively pursuing additional bench depth.
Sixers HC Brett Brown on Trade Deadline - Improving Team:
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) January 27, 2019
“Elton Brand is doing aggressive work behind the scenes trying to figure out the design of our team as the trade deadline comes up, and I’m following his lead.”@6abc #Sixers #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/S1JmzkA7eH
For the Sixers, consistent bench contributions of significance have come few and far between. Of course, Landry Shamet‘s 60.7 True Shooting percentage is the best among rookie guards, he has 91 successful three-point attempts, second behind Luka Doncic among rookies and Shamet provides a previously missing offensive spark.
Corey Brewer‘s sample size as a Sixer consists of only four games, three of which he started in due to the absence of Jimmy Butler, he is averaging 2.8 fast break points per game which greater than that of players such as Jaylen Brown and CJ McCollum. The Offensive Ratings of both Mike Muscala (108.2) and T.J. McConnell (107.4) per 100 possessions rank at least 2.5 points higher than Marc Gasol‘s 104.6 and Mike Conley‘s 104.2, per Stats.NBA.com.
However, collectively the Philadelphia 76ers bench is 22nd within the NBA in point scoring, and nearly last in the fourth quarter. Likewise, defensively the Sixers bench ranks 27th in steals, 25th in blocks, and 29th in rebounds. While the Sixers have found different combinations of success with their personnel of diverse skill sets, there is simply not enough two-way production from the bench in order to help build or sustain leads.
Defensive liabilities, athletic mismatches, and lack of offensive fluidity, have all caused a hindrance upon the Sixers’ bench throughout the duration of this season. Nonetheless, the Sixers have an abundance of opportunities to improve their bench production within the next ten days.
Despite playfully innocent rumors linking the Sixers to players such as Josh Hart and Kevin Love, the team is reportedly most actively pursuing a backup center and defensively oriented guard with the capability and range to shoot.