The Philadelphia 76ers went .500 in their Orlando seeding games.
A rocky regular season finished on an appropriately rocky note for the Philadelphia 76ers, who went 4-4 in eight Orlando seeding games. Ben Simmons is out for the season, Joel Embiid got hurt on two separate occasions, and Al Horford is back in the starting five by necessity. Fun!
The Sixers will now face the Boston Celtics in round one. All this, only to face the Celtics again. As underdogs (again), no less.
That said, Philadelphia does have a chance to make noise in the postseason. While Simmons’ absence will irrevocably scar the Sixers’ title odds, the Bubble Sixers weren’t all bad. In fact, there were a lot of positives in Orlando.
For example, Al Horford isn’t totally cooked. He averaged 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 25.4 minutes per game. He also shot 52.6 percent from deep, and was far more efficient from the field in comparison to his pre-bubble numbers. Horford’s resurgence on offense could go a long way toward making the Sixers competitive.
Or you could point toward Kyle O’Quinn, who nearly recorded a triple-double against the Suns. The veteran center established himself as the third-string center, thoroughly outplaying the likes of Norvel Pelle. In the event of an emergency, he’s the man Philadelphia will turn to at center.
Also deserving of a shoutout is Mike Scott, who carved out a spot in the rotation and could see some minutes against Boston. After struggling all season, the bubble was a real pivot for Scott. He looks more like his old self.
In the end, neither Horford, nor Scott, nor O’Quinn cracked my list of the three players who made the most out of the bubble. Consider them my honorable mentions.
3. Raul Neto
This was a toss-up between the aforementioned Scott and Raul Neto. While Scott probably has a greater chance of seeing regular minutes in the playoffs, he was already on the fringe of the rotation. Neto went from an afterthought to someone who seems legitimately in Brett Brown’s back pocket.
Over the Sixers’ final three seeding games, Neto averaged 17.7 points and 4.7 assists on 37.5 percent shooting from deep. He averaged only one turnover a game, and he looked in control of Philadelphia’s often chaotic halfcourt offense.
The Sixers’ lack of guard play has been a constant storyline for three seasons now. Philadelphia is better when players on the floor can dribble, pass, and shoot. Neto does all three, and he does so without making innumerable mistakes or miscalculations. He’s a steady hand, which the Sixers often benefit from having.
Neto probably won’t see the floor initially in the Boston series, especially if Brett Brown commits to a nine-man rotation. If the Sixers’ offense stutters, however, there’s a good chance Brown throws Neto into the mix to try to spark something. Think back to the T.J. McConnell game against Boston a few years ago.
Guards are important in the year 2020, and Neto is essentially the only real “point guard” on the roster. He can run pick-and-rolls, push the tempo in transition, and most of all, he doesn’t let the ball stick. He’s a quick decision maker — one of the few on the roster. He’s no longer someone to ignore completely.
2. Alec Burks
Coming into the bubble, we weren’t sure if Alec Burks was part of the rotation. He was barely holding on to the 10th spot in a rotation Brett Brown promised to cut to nine. In the Houston game on Friday, Burks was Brown’s first player off the bench.
In eight games, no one saw a more astronomic increase in value than Burks. He went from a borderline waste of second-round picks to someone who will have a significant say in Philadelphia’s postseason success. If the Sixers topple Boston, Burks will play a large role in doing so.
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This ties back to what I said about Neto. The Sixers are better when guards are on the floor. I’ll call a spade a spade — Burks is not a point guard — but given the current limitations of Philadelphia’s roster, Burks’ ability to back up Shake Milton is essential.
Burks is the best perimeter shot creator on the roster. No one is better at creating something out of nothing — at going from standstill to points on the board — than Burks. He can side-step his way to 3s, he can attack the rim and finish with craft, or he can simply shoot over the top of his defender.
When the Sixers can’t generate offense through Embiid or Harris, it’s Burks who can step in and score a flurry of points. He’s the kind of sixth man scoring punch the Sixers have never had in the Embiid era. You could point to Marco Belinelli, but Burks is infinitely more valuable due to his ability to create off the dribble and, on occasion, create for others.
In the bubble, Burks averaged 14.6 points in 20.4 minutes. He shot 57.1 percent on 4.0 attempts per game from deep. As a cherry on top, he posted three consecutive games of 20+ points, tying a career-long streak. He’s the real deal.
1. Joel Embiid
At first glance, it may seem strange to include Embiid. He’s already the team’s No. 1 option, and he essentially missed three games due to various injuries. The bubble hasn’t been a smooth ride for Embiid, but when he has been on the court, he has been at his absolute best.
In the four full games Embiid played, he averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He shot 53.8 percent from the field, he anchored the defense, and he made one key development. He transformed into a genuine playmaking threat from the block.
Improvement as a passer has always been the next step in Embiid’s superstar progression. No one has ever questioned Embiid’s ability to score on the block. He’s the most physically imposing center in basketball, he his skill package is comparable to some of the all-time greats.
Where Embiid has often fallen short is as a decision-maker. Throughout his career, Embiid has been single-minded on the block — looking to score, not create for others. Even when defenses threw double teams at him.
Embiid’s approach to double teams has wholly changed in the bubble. Rather than forcing up ill-advised, well-contested shots, he has been more patient. He has made quicker reads and unleashed some high-level passes — passes we never would have seen before the bubble.
If Embiid can translate that success to the Boston series — where the Celtics lack the size to contain him on the block — he will single-handedly generate a bevy of open looks for Philadelphia’s shooters. If the Sixers are going to beat Boston without Simmons, it will be because Embiid lives up to his name.
The Sixers aren’t better without Simmons, but it does clarify Embiid’s role. He’s the main guy on offense. Philadelphia will look to him almost every possession, oftentimes in the post — where his mere presence collapses the defense.
If Embiid continues his progression as a passer, the Sixers should proceed optimistically as underdogs.