Game 4 didn’t have a lot of great results for the Sixers, one of which was the injury to Joel Embiid. It’s unknown whether or not he will play in Game 5 nor the severity of the knee injury. Regardless, the Philadelphia 76ers need to be careful with Embiid’s health heading forward.
Unless Embiid is close, if not 100.0 percent, then he shouldn’t play in Game 5. The Sixers have enough talent to win one more game against the Washington Wizards without Embiid. Getting him rest is key if they can afford it, which they should be able to.
If Embiid does sit for Game 5, then head coach Doc Rivers needs to find his replacement for him. Dwight Howard can’t be a starter anymore and Mike Scott shouldn’t be getting minutes at this point in his career. Rivers should do something unconventional and start point guard Ben Simmons at center.
Why Simmons should start at center for the Sixers if Embiid can’t.
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Despite being a future Hall of Famer, Howard shouldn’t be sharing the floor with Simmons. There’s just not enough space for the two of them to share the floor. Scott is supposed to be a shooter, but he went 0-3 from the 3-point line in Game 4 and has been disappointing with his 3-point shooting for the year.
Rivers won’t turn to rookie big man Paul Reed as he’s been reluctant to do so in the regular season, so there’s no reason why he would do so now in the postseason. It doesn’t apppear that Anthony Tollier will be getting regular minutes in the postseason as well. The 76ers don’t have any other options besides Simmons at this point.
With Simmons at center, the Sixers will be able to switch one-five, which should make guarding Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook even easier. It would also allow the 76ers to run in transition. The team can play three guards, Harris, and Simmons, which should allow Philly to run a lot. It also allows the 76ers to hide Simmons’ lack of shooting even more so now on offense and it creates offensive mismatches for Simmons or others to take advantage of.
If Embiid can’t play in Game 5, then the Sixers should make the smart choice and play Simmons at center in his stead.