Philadelphia 76ers: Raul Neto could get more minutes moving forward
The Philadelphia 76ers could play Raul Neto more moving forward.
There are going to be major ripple effects from Ben Simmons getting injured and there is a strong possibility that he misses the rest of the season. One of those ripples could be Raul Neto getting more minutes for the Philadelphia 76ers moving forward.
If you listen to The Sixer Sense Podcast (which I suggest strongly if you aren’t already), then you know I’m not a big Neto fan. I also recently wrote that he shouldn’t be in the rotation moving forward in the Disney bubble, but things have changed.
My lack of love for the point guard has nothing to do with his play. It has more to do with that he’s more of a third-string point guard, but for most of the season, the 76ers used him as a second-string point guard. I also think if you’re going to get a player of Neto’s caliber they would have been better off keeping T.J. McConnell.
What Neto brings to the court.
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That being said, with the injury to Simmons, Neto is the only other pure point guard on the roster and could be relied upon more. Shake Milton and Alec Burks are both combo guards. Now don’t get me more wrong, Milton should be able to handle the starting point guard duties and Burks has earned his spot in the rotation. However, there is a time and a place to have a pure point guard on the court and that is where Neto will get his opportunities.
Neto is still the best of those three when it comes to running an offense. Although he has the lowest assists per game among the three guards, he’s the most steady hand of the three. In the Sixers’ first game against the Indiana Pacers in the Disney Bubble, head coach Brett Brown turned to Neto when Milton struggled.
With Simmons injured, it wouldn’t be surprising if Brown turned to Neto every now and then. It’s not going to be a regular thing as Neto didn’t register any minutes against the Orlando Magic, Philly’s first game without Simmons. However, it’s hard to imagine that Neto won’t see the floor anymore with Simmons being out.
Next. 4 replacements for Simmons in the starting 5. dark
Neto might not become the regular member of the Philadelphia 76ers rotation, but with Simmons being unavailable it makes much more likely that Brown turns to Neto more often.