Sixers lessons learned from Game 1 vs. Hawks: The all-bench lineups suck… again
In what comes as no surprise to anyone, the all-bench lineups are a problem. Doc Rivers could get away with it in the first round, with Russell Westbrook chucking 18-foot jumpers and Raul Neto existing. Now that they’re facing a competent opponent with the firepower necessary to win a seven-game series, Rivers can not get cute. The Sixers went 11-deep after a remarkably unsuccessful Shake Milton stretch in the fourth quarter. The Sixers are not the Bucks, and Doc Rivers cannot channel his inner Mike Budenholzer.
The Sixers should have a nine-man rotation at most, with Matisse Thybulle, George Hill, Tyrese Maxey, and Dwight Howard making up the second unit. At no point should five bench players share the floor at a given time. Ideally, one or two of Embiid, Simmons, and Harris are on the floor at all times.
Philadelphia’s all-bench minutes in the second quarter basically handed Atlanta the game. The Hawks tore them to shreds on both ends. Those all-bench groups simply lack the offensive firepower and defensive versatility necessary to play competitive basketball. Especially on such a big stage.
Deep rotations and a heavy reliance on the bench are fine in the regular season. In fact, it’s arguably a necessary rest mechanism for Embiid and company. That rest, however, is meant to preclude longer workdays in the postseason. Embiid is hurt, but he played 38 minutes in Game 1. If he’s good enough to go that long, then there’s no galaxy-brain excuse to go as deep into the bench for as long as Rivers did Sunday afternoon. It’s bad, stubborn coaching — which is in part why the Clippers went home in the 2020 playoffs.