A bundle of Sixers questions and answers following the anticlimactic end of the James Harden saga.
For whatever reason, the Philadelphia 76ers were unable to land James Harden, who will instead join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. It could be that Daryl Morey was too stringent with his assets. It could be that Houston, led by a petty billionaire who couldn’t see past his own ego, was reluctant to gift Morey with its prized possession. Either way, the Sixers are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The natural question is, what’s next? The Sixers are now firmly behind Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, with real questions about the future of Joel Embiid and whether his prime can be maximized in Philadelphia.
It seemed apt to hit the Twitterverse and conduct a mailbag to see what questions you, the readers, were asking. From trade hypotheticals to friendly fire from our Celtics sister site, there’s plenty to talk about.
Sixers mailbag: How do you see Tyrese Maxey’s ceiling?
I have done my best this season to offer a balanced and reasoned perspective on Tyrese Maxey, who has provided fans with a lot of joy to start the season. He has received significant hype lately — perhaps too much. Expectations may be creeping too high. That said, Maxey’s upside is tantalizing.
With quick-twitch athleticism, feather-soft touch, and vastly improved decision-making skills, Maxey looks the part of a bonafide NBA point guard. He can run the offense, create for teammates, and get to his spots with ease. Even with a shaky 3-point shot, defenses have had trouble keeping him out of the lane. He collapses the defense in a way few Sixer guards have been able to in the Embiid era.
Maxey famously dropped 39 points on Denver when the Sixers were down to seven players. While Maxey will probably never again be Philadelphia’s only offensive creator as he was in that game, he does fill a role no one else on the team can. Even Shake Milton lacks Maxey’s burst and in-between game. The Sixers should have no qualms about continuing to ramp up Maxey’s playing time, even as the roster returns to full health.
The ceiling for Maxey is difficult to pin down. On one hand, he’s a confident volume scorer who could develop into a real playmaking engine. On the other hand, he’s still an erratic defender who, at 6-foot-2, is prone to mismatches. He will also need to iron out his 3-point shot — or at least let it fly with more confidence — to maximize his speed.
There’s a good chance Maxey is a starter within the next season or two. While I wouldn’t bank on it this season — Danny Green has been better than his reputation suggests, and Maxey still needs to grow into his responsibilities — Maxey and Shake and both trending towards bigger roles and bright futures.
On the last episode of The Sixer Sense Podcast, my co-host Lucas Johnson claimed Maxey had All-Star potential. Is that aiming high? Sure. Is it possible? Sure.
Sixers mailbag: Who deserves a bigger role after Philadelphia’s shorthanded games?
The Sixers have played the last couple weeks of basketball short on multiple rotation pieces, including several starters who had to miss action as a result of COVID protocols. The obvious standout from those games was Tyrese Maxey, who even aside from his 39-point explosion has been important to Philadelphia keeping its head above water.
That said, the player who has really earned a bigger role — a player who didn’t have a role prior to this stretch of games — is Isaiah Joe, another Sixers rookie. The 49th overall pick on draft night, most expected Joe to spend this season glued to the bench. Now, Doc Rivers may need to keep him on the floor.
Over the past two games, Joe is 8-for-18 from the floor — all 18 shots coming from behind the 3-point line. Joe was a high-volume bomber in college, and he has continued to let it fly in the NBA. The Sixers are at their best with shooters around Joel Embiid. Joe can shoot the basketball as well as anyone on the roster, with the possible exclusion of Curry.
Joe has also been surprisingly competent on defense, a part of his game that was not advertised heavily coming out of Arkansas. He’s skinny and somewhat stiff, but the 6-foot-6 wing has managed to put together strong possessions on that side of the floor. He looks like a real rotation piece.
Right now, when healthy, Shake Milton, Tyrese Maxey, Dwight Howard, and Furkan Korkmaz are locked into Philadelphia’s second unit. That 10th spot is up for grabs, with neither Mike Scott nor Matisse Thybulle making a particularly strong case. I would argue Joe deserves the chance to supplant both of them.
Sixers mailbag: What’s a realistic Lou Williams trade?
This is tricky for a number of reasons. Lou Williams’ days are numbered in LA, but frankly, I’m not sure Philadelphia is the right landing spot. He’s a gifted halfcourt scorer and Doc Rivers would certainly find minutes for him, but Williams’ skill set overlaps a little too much with Maxey and Milton.
The Sixers still need an elite backcourt creator to maximize their roster, but thrusting Williams into sixth man minutes is not the proper solution. Williams is a defensive liability, and frankly, he’s not too much of an upgrade over Milton and Maxey offensively. All three could find minutes, but Philadelphia would be wise to lean on Milton’s efficiency and Maxey’s youth.
Williams struggled in the Bubble playoffs, and at 34 years old, the diminutive scoring guard probably won’t get better in that respect. Doc Rivers’ stubbornness and inability to move away from Williams in the playoffs didn’t reflect too kindly on the Sixers’ new coach, either. It’s best to led old habits die hard and not give Rivers the chance to repeat past mistakes.
That said, would I endorse a Williams trade for the right price? Yes. It would have to be fairly minimal, though — Mike Scott, Tony Bradley, and a second-round pick or two. The Sixers shouldn’t sacrifice any real assets. The Clippers can probably find better offers from a more desperate contender, and with LA in win-now mode, the Clippers would probably want a real rotation piece in return. I’m not sure Scott fits that description.
Sixers mailbag: Who steps up as a scorer, who steps up as a rebounder without Joel Embiid?
The Sixers will be without Joel Embiid for their upcoming two-game road trip, citing knee soreness for the 7-footer’s absence. The Sixers tend to struggle whenever Embiid misses time, and I’m unconvinced this road trip will be any different. Philadelphia can win without the big fella — especially against two beatable teams in Memphis and OKC — but do not expect dominant basketball.
In the scoring department, we can obviously expect more from Tobias Harris, Shake Milton, and Tyrese Maxey, who are the Sixers’ main sources of perimeter creation. Ben Simmons will also see an uptick in usage, but his pass-happy nature has been exhausted a little too much this season. He needs to be more aggressive as a scorer. Will he? That is a question for which I cannot confidently give a positive answer.
In the rebounding department, the Sixers have more than enough glass presence between Simmons, Harris, and Dwight Howard to survive the big man’s absence. Howard has continued to control the boards this season, even as other parts of his game deteriorate. Simmons and Harris are nightly threats to get double-digit rebounds, even when Embiid is healthy.
Sixers mailbag: Why are the Celtics better?
This question was asked in jest by our sister site Hardwood Houdini. That said, it does open the floor for an interesting and relevant discussion — are the Sixers better than the Celtics, and how will those two teams match up in a potential playoff series?
Both Philadelphia and Boston are sitting near the top of the standings in the East at 9-4 and 8-3, respectively. The Sixers have been burdened by shorthandedness due to COVID, as have the Celtics, who are also missing Kemba Walker due to knee surgery. Even with full health eluding them, both teams look like strong second-tier contenders behind Brooklyn and Milwaukee.
The Sixers might finally have the upper hand in terms of depth, which has not been the case in recent years. The Sixers may also have the best player in Joel Embiid, although it’s certainly not black and white. Jayson Tatum is an equally special talent who excels on both ends of the floor.
For Philadelphia, their advantage starts and ends with Embiid, who can punish the likes of Tristan Thompson, Daniel Theis, and Robert Williams to no end. The Celtics have no answer for Embiid defensively, and with more shooters around him, it will be as difficult as ever for Boston to keep him contained.
On the other hand, the Celtics have the advantage in terms of perimeter creation — a crucial skill when games break down, especially in the playoffs. Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker are all players you can rely on to get a bucket down the stretch. The Sixers still lean heavily on Embiid, who is capable, but the lack of dribblers and shot-makers around him is troubling. Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey aren’t quite there yet.
The Sixers and Celtics are both good defensive teams, though Philadelphia probably has the edge due to Embiid and Simmons. Also of note is Simmons’ history of success defending Jayson Tautm — a luxury Philadelphia was not afforded when Boston swept them out of the Bubble.
Few NBA rivalries can touch Philadelphia and Boston, but the battles have been fairly one-sided in favor of Boston this decade. This season could change the narrative, and a healthy Sixers would have more than a fair chance in a playoff series. Either way, it would be entertaining basketball.
Sixers mailbag: Where does Philadelphia rank in the East?
The James Harden trade brought about a significant power surge in the Eastern Conference. Instead of possible favorites, the Brooklyn Nets are now heavy favorites, with three of this generation’s most gifted scorers surrounded by an impressive array of complementary talent. Brooklyn is the absolute No. 1 in the conference.
While it is more than fair to doubt Milwaukee’s playoff ceiling at this point, the Bucks deserve some benefit of the doubt. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still the best player in basketball at his peak, and the addition of Jrue Holiday — while not a cure-all — does give Milwaukee more room for error in the playoffs. The Bucks are a pretty solid No. 2.
After that, you’re throwing darts blindfolded. The Sixers have made a compelling case for the No. 3 slot, especially with Embiid’s MVP-caliber performance so far, but Boston, Indiana, and Miami have also made strong arguments at different points. The only real surprise has been Toronto’s fall from grace, leaving them firmly on the outside looking in.
Here’s my rough list at the top.
- (1) Brooklyn Nets (7-6)
- (2) Milwaukee Bucks (9-4)
- (3) Philadelphia 76ers (9-4)
- (4) Boston Celtics (8-3)
- (5) Miami Heat (4-6)
- (6) Indiana Pacers (8-4)
Let this serve as a power ranking with an eye towards the postseason.
After the fifth spot, it gets murky. Record-wise, we have Orlando (6-6), Cleveland (6-7), Charlotte (6-7), and Atlanta (5-6) in short succession. None of those teams are particularly inspiring. Orlando is missing multiple key players, Cleveland and Charlotte are young, and Atlanta has struggled to find a rhythm despite its strong talent base. Then, you have the Raptors, who many expected to make the postseason, trailing behind at 3-8.
Toronto has played under extraordinary circumstances this season, not only adjusting to the pandemic, but relocating outside their home market and basing operations out of Tampa Bay. The Raptors are essentially playing 72 games on the road, which is difficult to overcome. Even in fan-less arenas.
That said, I do expect the Raptors to round into form at some point. There’s too much experience and skill on that roster not to. Toronto is a winning team with a winning culture, and despite the memes, Pascal Siakam is a compelling star. I am willing to bet on Toronto find its groove at some point.
- (7) Toronto Raptors (3-8)
- (8) Charlotte Hornets (6-7)
- (9) Orlando Magic (6-6)
- (10) Atlanta Hawks (5-6)
I am buying all the LaMelo Ball stock. Thank you, and goodnight.