Philadelphia 76ers: 3 takeaways from Tobias Harris’ debut vs. Denver Nuggets
2. The bench rotation still needs work
The Sixers added Tobias Harris and overhauled the bench over a two-day span, adding Mike Scott, Boban Marjanovic, James Ennis III and Jonathon Simmons — all of whom will get legitimate minutes in Brett Brown’s rotation.
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It’s clear the Sixers still need to find out the best mixture of talent behind the starting lineup, though. There should be at least two members of the starting five on the floor at all times. Brown briefly went to a Jimmy-and-bench pieces lineup last night, and the results were expectedly bad. That shouldn’t happen.
As for Boban, Brett should re-think naming him the full-time backup center. There are matchups Boban thrives in, but teams like Denver will constantly exploit his inability to defend in space. Jonah Bolden, who’s both younger and more versatile, should hold a spot in the rotation.
The Sixers need to cut down on T.J. McConnell as much as possible. There are times where he needs to play out of necessity, but the Sixers have the personnel to survive without him. That will be even more true once Jonathon Simmons joins the rotation.
One potential solution is making Jimmy the de facto point guard whenever Ben Simmons sits. We’ve seen his willingness to facilitate the offense and find open teammates in recent weeks, and Brown should take full advantage of his skill set. McConnell is a perpetual liability.