Philadelphia 76ers: 5 things to watch for Christmas Day vs. Milwaukee Bucks

2. The defensive rotation on Giannis

The Sixers have three primary answers to Giannis: Joel Embiid, Al Horford, and Ben Simmons. There are a couple viable paths here, but in the end, expect Brett Brown to start the game with Embiid on Antetokounmpo. A one-on-one battle of top-10 players.

The Sixers will counter Brook Lopez’s floor-spacing with Horford, who’s more comfortable on the perimeter. Simmons will start the game on Khris Middleton in an attempt to quiet Milwaukee’s most dynamic three-level scorer.

Here’s how the defensive matchups should play out, at least to start the game.

• Ben Simmons ⇨ Khris Middleton
• Josh Richardson ⇨ Donte DiVincenzo
• Tobias Harris ⇨ Wesley Matthews
• Al Horford ⇨ Brook Lopez
• Joel Embiid ⇨ Giannis Antetokounmpo

Embiid is as well-equipped to handle Antetokounmpo’s physical assaults as anyone in basketball. He matches then exceeds Antetokounmpo in both size and weight, and has enough lateral quickness to stick with Giannis’ explosive first step. He will also get a head start — Giannis, even if he’s shooting threes, should always start with extra space.

As the game progresses, the Sixers should (and will) experiment. To slow down Giannis, different looks and coverages are necessary. He will get hit with the occasional double team. He will need to handle Simmons’ athleticism. He will need to handle Horford’s savvy. This is obviously a common theme — how the Sixers handle Giannis will tell us a lot.