Sixers: What should the closing lineup be?

Sixers’ closing lineup shooting guard: Seth Curry/Matisse Thybulle

This is matchup dependent, pretty much. Seth Curry is obviously an elite shooter and, broadly speaking, a much better player than Thybulle. It was Curry who averaged 21.0 points on 59.6 percent shooting from deep in the Hawks series. It’s hard to deny him a spot in this lineup, and I will not. He is the offensively ideal two-guard.

That said, there are some complications when running Curry and Maxey together. Both are small (in the 6-foot-3 range), and neither is particularly gifted on the defensive end. For all the talk of Curry’s offensive heroics against Atlanta, his complete inability to resist Kevin Huerter in Game 7 basically wrapped a bow on the Hawks’ series win.

In certain matchups, the Sixers will need some defensive reinforcement on the perimeter. Matisse Thybulle is a total non-factor offensively, which presents its own set of challenges, but he’s a damn near unrivaled defender. He can shut down the NBA’s best guards, and would serve well as a stopper when facing the league’s more dynamic backcourts. You need guys who can fight over screens and smother ball-handlers at the point of attack.

There’s a pretty strong argument for favoring Curry over Maxey, and creating room for Thybulle that way, but Maxey’s rim pressure is of singular importance to the Sixers’ offense. He’s a special guard in context of this roster, and if his current rate of growth continues, he should have no problem mounting a sustained case for closing minutes. Curry, on the other hand, is maybe not quite as good as his playoff numbers suggest.

This is basically a spot for Rivers to trade offense and defense, depending on the night and the situation. In late, late-game situations, Rivers can even sub offense for defense, swapping Curry and Thybulle on a possessional basis.