4. ‘The Closer’
In case you hadn’t realized, Jimmy Butler is no longer a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s in Miami, a member of the Heat and once again the undisputed top option for a good-but-not-great team in a historic city. The Sixers will miss Jimmy … a lot.
In Jimmy’s absence, Philadelphia will explore new avenues late in games. While Brown appears confident in Joel Embiid’s ability to operate as the closer — he should be, Embiid is a top-10 NBA player — there’s still room for concern given his post-centric nature and defenses’ ability to constrict the paint late in games.
Philadelphia will need someone to operate as a relief valve for Embiid, if nothing else. Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson are the clear and obvious solutions. Harris is a more dynamic live-ball scorer, while Richardson has a silky in-between game and the handles to break down a defense.
In the end, expect the Sixers to take a by-committee approach when necessary. Embiid will carry the mantle of bell cow and No. 1 option, but some scenarios will force Harris or Richardson to step into a prominent late-game role.
This spreads into the more general question of ‘how on earth will Philadelphia replace Jimmy Butler?’