5 notable games on the Sixers’ 2021-22 schedule: Bucks (Nov. 9)
Another home game will mark the Sixers’ first face-off with the reigning NBA champs. Milwaukee is another team the Sixers are chasing, with arguably the NBA’s best player in Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well as two perpetually underrated All-Stars in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
The Bucks are a better team than the Sixers, who will have to prove a lot before one can confidently put them in the same conversation. That said, Philadelphia does match up well on paper. Joel Embiid has the size and mobility to contain Giannis, while Ben Simmons (again, big asterisk) and Matisse Thybulle can give Middleton fits.
Philadelphia and Milwaukee are both big, physical teams who like to muck up the game. The Bucks are much better at it, and have a much more well-rounded offense, but the general approach is the same for both teams. Embiid is a very different offensive engine than Giannis, but that’s still a battle of absolute heavyweights who thrive in the painted area.
You can never take too much away from individual games, but this is a critical early-season litmus test for Philly. The Sixers are actively striving to get on Milwaukee’s level. If Embiid eats Giannis’ lunch, for example, that’s a big positive. If the Sixers can crack the Bucks’ stout defense, that’s a positive sign.