The playoffs are less than a month away, and with just ten games left on the schedule, one question still remains… What will Doc Rivers’ rotation look like? The Philadelphia 76ers currently sit at 41-21, trailing only the Brooklyn Nets (43-20) as the top team in the Eastern Conference. As games get more and more important for seeding purposes, rotations are usually solidified.
So far, the only sure thing seems to be the Sixers’ starting unit, one through five, which consists of Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Danny Green, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid. The 10, 9, 8, 7, 6ers off the bench still seem to be up in the air.
The Sixers have a lot of decisions to make with the playoffs on the horizon.
Matisse Thybulle and Dwight Howard have been our first two off the bench all year, which defensively is a thing of beauty. But can they produce enough offensively to do some serious damage? No. Some will say that’s why we went out and traded for George Hill, but what does this mean for Shake Milton, who has played the backup point guard all year long? Does he move over to shooting guard or take a backseat? Not to mention George Hill may not even be that much better than Shake anyways. Was he worth giving up Tony Bradley? All things to consider as you break down the teams possible matchups in the near future.
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The elephant in the room year after year come playoff time is the Sixers’ halfcourt offense led by Ben Simmons. Especially in the last two minutes of close games. Defenders on the opposing side know Ben isn’t going to shoot so they close off driving lanes, clog the paint, and force the Sixers to beat them from beyond the arc. This essentially eliminates Ben from doing anything other than standing in the corner. Which results in his defender leaving him to help on Joel, making Embiid doubled on an Island looking for help.
His help all year has come from Tobias Harris, who has made a tremendous leap from last year to this year. Going from 80 percent at the charity stripe to 89 percent this year, and averaging 20+ points per game on 51 percent shooting compared to his 19 and 47 percent last year. The difference in Tobias’ game this year has been the closer mentality. His ability to take and make tough shots down the stretch has been huge, considering besides Joel, nobody has been able to do so since Jimmy Butler.
Head coach Doc Rivers has some very tough decisions coming up. Furkan Korkmaz and Tyrese Maxey are two others yet to be mentioned who have made their case for some minutes. Furkan who has shot the lights out as of late, and Tyrese Maxey, who seems to always have an extra step on defenders, are two guys that I believe are “unclear” on what their role is. Instead of the typical shortened 7-8 man rotation, the sixers should consider expanding and going 10-12 for this specific roster.
Any Hall of Fame NBA player, coach, or staff member will tell you, the playoffs are all about matchups. That being said, we have a lot of versatile defenders and a lot of inconsistent offense. There’s only ever been one constant, and that’s Joel Hans Embiid. So, why not mix it up night in and night out by going with who is hot and who the best matchup is for that specific night/series.
A 10-12 man rotation would keep opposing players and coaching staffs off balance and keep our bench guys ready at all times. By not having a solidified 7-8 rotation, guys like Maxey, Anthony Tolliver, and Paul Reed can put their imprints on games even if it’s for 10 minutes, and wear down the opposing team while doing so. It also makes the Sixers less predictable, and makes up for their inconsistent offensive talent by showing different cards night in and night out. This team is an elite defensive group and has a lot of depth, don’t get me wrong, but the offensive consistency just isn’t there.
Doc Rivers’ guarantees this postseason should be:
1. Thybulle and Simmons as your two defensive stoppers, even if it means subbing out Seth Curry with two minutes left in a tie game for defense.
2. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are your closers.
Besides those two things I just mentioned, I truly believe the rest is up in the air and some guys are unsure what role they will play in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
With only 10 games left we are closer to an answer for all these questions, including what seed the Sixers will eventually land. Fingers crossed for the one seed. Snagging it would be gigantic, as you hope to play Brooklyn or Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals — you don’t want to play both before even going to the Finals, where in my prediction, you are meeting the Lakers. That’s a lot of star talent to go through and the Sixers simply don’t have it. It will be up to the role players to carry the load offensively and help Jo bring a chip home to Philadelphia.