The Philadelphia 76ers won Game 3 in Atlanta against the Hawks in convincing fashion. However, it didn’t come without a price. The Sixers lost Danny Green in the first quarter due to a calf strain and will miss two-three weeks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. If their starting small forward is unable to play Game 4, the 76ers need to have a backup plan.
Philly’s coach Doc Rivers has three quality options Rivers can turn to now that Green will miss time.
3 potential replacements for Green: Tyrese Maxey
Considering that George Hill and Shake Milton seem comfortable coming off the bench this season for the Sixers, they probably shouldn’t start in Green’s place. However, if the 76ers want to start with multiple playmakers on the court in Game 4, then Tyrese Maxey should be their guy.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written that Maxey should be starting in the playoffs, in fact, I’ve done so multiple times. Maxey has the highest potential of Philly’s young core. He can create his own shot and has proven that he can play alongside Ben Simmons which should be a positive for now and in the future.
During the regular season, Maxey averaged 18.6 points and 3.9 assists, while converting 33.3 percent of his 3-pointers in eight games as a starter. Granted his points average was helped by a 39-point game against the Denver Nuggets, but he can create his own offense better than almost anyone else on this roster.
The downside is that he’s struggled on defense during the postseason. Against these Hawks, the Sixers can’t afford to have two defensive liabilities on defense in Maxey and Seth Curry to start a tough Game 4 matchup.
3 potential replacements for Green: Matisse Thybulle
If the Philadelphia 76ers want to sure up the defensive of the starting five, then look no further than Matisse Thybulle. I wrote about Thybulle replacing Green as a starter after Game 1 and it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Game 4 and beyond.
Thybulle has been as good as one can be at slowing down star point guard Trae Young in this series thus far. He and Simmons have done the best job covering Young in this postseason. For these playoffs, Thybulle has averaged 5.5 points, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks. His steals per game this postseason 10th in the NBA, per ESPN.
“His shot is questionable and having him start games with a non-shooter like Simmons doesn’t make sense.”
However, there are two major downsides to having Thybulle start. The first being the obvious one as he’s an offensive liability as he struggles with his outside shot. This postseason he’s shot just 30.4 percent from downtown.
The flipside to that argument is that during the regular season, he averaged 5.1 points on 46.7 percent shooting from deep, but in his one start this postseason, he shot 33.3 percent from behind the arc. His shot is questionable and having him start games with a non-shooter like Simmons doesn’t make sense.
The other thing to consider is that the 76ers won’t have elite defense coming off the bench with Thybulle starting. Don’t be mistaken, Hill isn’t bad, but he’s not near the level of perimeter defender that Thybulle and Simmons are. Against a player like Young, having elite defenders consistently in a rotation will be key slowing him down so staggering Thybulle and Simmons might be their best bet.
3 potential replacements for Green: Furkan Korkmaz
While both Maxey and Thybulle are solid options, Furkan Korkmaz might be the safest bet to get the start in Game 4 now that Green will probably miss the rest of this series. Outside of Mike Scott who isn’t in the playoff rotation, Furkan Korkmaz received the most starts out of the reserves with 11 this past regular season.
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He appeared to be River’s favorite option as a fill-in starter and played well in the starting five. He averaged 12.7 points and 1.3 steals, while making 37.0 percent of his 3-pointers as a starter. Outside of Joel Embiid, Korkmaz is tied with Simmons for being the longest-tenured player on the roster.
His chemistry with the stars can’t be understated and it makes him a valuable fill-in starter for the Sixers. His 14 points and 50.0 percent shooting in Game 3 also helps his case as he’s one of the hottest players on the roster right now his floor spacing is important for Embiid and Simmons.
On top of that, the Hawks players haven’t been burning him on defense either. It’s hard to believe but Korkmaz is hold up defensively during the playoffs. As long as he doesn’t have to guard Young, starting him makes sense for the 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers have some solid options to replace Green in the next several weeks, but out of all of them, Korkmaz appears to make the most sense on paper.
*This article was updated after Shams Charania’s tweet about Green’s injury, 6/12/21 3:37 PM EST.