Philadelphia 76ers have firepower to compete without Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers still have deep flaws, but talent alone should allow them to compete — even when Joel Embiid goes down.

I’m well aware of the (suspect) timing of this piece. The Philadelphia 76ers just got thrashed, at home, by the Portland Trail Blazers, largely due to mismatches stemming from an absent Joel Embiid. On most nights, though, the Sixers have the tools to compete without their biggest star.

The Blazers were a uniquely challenging matchup, posing issues with their strong interior presence — Jonah Bolden and small-ball lineups were ill-equipped to defend Jusuf Nurkic — and their elite pick-and-roll game, which caused fits for resident hulk Boban Marjanovic.

On most nights, the Sixers’ defense won’t face quite as many challenges. Embiid can cover a lot of mistakes underneath, but the Sixers still have two high-level perimeter defenders in Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons. The bench, albeit still questionable, is much-improved on that end.

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As long as the Sixers can avoid defensive collapse, there’s enough star power to legitimately contend against most NBA teams. That hasn’t been the case for much of the past three seasons, omitting the Sixers’ 16-game win streak to end 2017-18.

Without Embiid, the Sixers now have three All-Star caliber talents to spearhead the offense. Ben Simmons is an elite facilitator who’s becoming more adept at exploiting mismatches and imposing his will inside. Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris are certified bucket-getters.

The Sixers boast two 39+ percent three-point shooters in Harris and J.J. Redick, allowing Brett Brown to keep the floor spaced while hunting favorable matchups through a variety of hand-off and screen actions, which still work in lieu of Embiid.

It also means the Sixers can keep one or two star-level talents on the court at all times, even when Embiid sits. Harris was the No. 1 option in Los Angeles for a reason, as was Butler in Minnesota. Simmons, although unconventional in his approach, is an efficient scorer who controls tempo better than most stars in the NBA.

We got a glimpse into Simmons’ individual impact last season, when he led the Sixers to eight straight wins (and a playoff victory) without Embiid. When he’s surrounded by apt shooting, even without a jump shot, Simmons can legitimately outclass most sub-elite teams.

As the Sixers’ chemistry improves, their newfound depth should become more evident. Butler remains a top-15 NBA player who, despite an odd fit in Philadelphia, is still productive. He’s finding more ways to impact the game, whether it be getting to the rim or facilitating for teammates. He will only get more comfortable in the remaining 20-odd games.

Harris was just added. He’s already been an overwhelming positive on offense. His natural fit and unselfishness are already on display, making his adjustment period considerably shorter than Butler’s was (or still is).

One might also point to the bench. Brett Brown is going 10 deep on a regular basis, using four reserves who joined at the trade deadline. James Ennis has struggled, but he’s a viable ninth or 10th option. Jonathon Simmons brings a palatable jolt of versatility and hustle in spurts.

Brown will need to figure out the backup center rotation — Jonah Bolden, in certain situations, deserves the nod over Boban — but there are now two legitimate NBA players who can spell Embiid. That wasn’t always the case before the deadline.

The lineup statistics don’t paint the prettiest picture — the Marjanovic, Harris, Butler, Redick, Simmons lineup is a net -8.4 in 31 minutes — but that’s partially skewed by the Blazers game. And, again, it’s important to remember context. The Sixers just added five players mid-season, on top of the ongoing Butler experiment. Things take time to gel in the NBA.

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If the Sixers want to compete for a title, Embiid needs to be healthy and at his physical peak. There’s no path toward legitimate contention without him. Even so, the Sixers can handle less-than-elite teams in his absence. In the regular season — and ideally the future — that will help quite a bit.